


Compatibility

by trancer



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Blood Drinking, F/F, Female Relationships, Femslash, First Time, Sexual Content, Vampires, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-29
Updated: 2012-05-29
Packaged: 2017-11-06 05:26:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/415230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trancer/pseuds/trancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily Prentiss was different. A new breed of vampire. One with all of their strengths, none of their weaknesses. Now, Jennifer Jareau, the BAU’s newest Communications Liason, was to become Emily‘s. But, Jareau has secrets of her own. When a case suddenly throws the two together, the secrets between them will either tear them apart, or bring them closer together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is like a hodge-podge of influences, thrown into a blender and shot gunned onto the page. Off the top of my head, some of them are ‘Vampire: The Masquerade‘, ‘Blade‘, ‘The Hollows’ series, and squint so you can see it ‘The Vampire Diaries‘. If I’ve left any out, it wasn’t intentional.

_Death wasn’t like Emily expected. She expected it to be cold, dark, terrifying. She didn’t expect her death to be like this - warm, inviting, peaceful. Like slipping into the warmest, most inviting bath._

_She could feel the darkness enveloping her, as her limbs went weightless and the darkness pooled in the corners of her eyes. But it was the light that captured her attention. Bright, almost blinding. A light that felt like looked like it should come with incredible heat, searing off the skin from her bones, but it was anything but. Drawn to it, Emily felt herself floating._

_“Emily,” a female voice called to her, warm and familiar but also thick and muddy like spoken through water. “Come back to me, Emily.”_

_The voice pulled at Emily, pulled her back down. Back away from the light._

_“GODDAMMIT!!” another voice screamed, male. Emily also knew this voice. She noted the concern, and wondered why it was for her benefit. “I need a medic here, NOW!”_

_The voices went distant again as Emily, once again, found herself floating towards the light._

_“Emily!” the female voice shrieked. But it was that name, Emily, that cut through the light and the warmth, pulled Emily back, away from the light. “Do something!”_

_“Emily!” a voice spoke and she knew that voice calling her name was JJ‘s. The mere sound of it called to something buried deep within her, almost primal, it was that that reached towards the voice, Emily battling with herself, wanting to go towards the light, needing to go back to JJ’s voice. “EMILY!”_

_Something wet, thick and coppery, flooded Emily’s senses. Slippery like eels, hot like lightning, it streaked through Emily, burning away the light with a light of its own. A light that bore into Emily, blasted away the darkness, until there was nothing but light. But, it wasn’t warm and inviting, this light was cold, dark, terrifying. It was what Emily imagined dying to be._

_That’s when Emily screamed._

**

“This..” Will grit his teeth, as his shoulders sagged, as his hand balled the parchment into his fist. “This is bullshit.”

“I know,” JJ sighed, voice tinged with nothing but resignation.

Will tightened his hand, the paper crunching loudly. Then he turned, and with all the rage he could muster, he tossed the paper at the wall. They both watched as it hit, ricocheting then landing with the softest of thuds on the floor. Will ran a shaking hand over her his head. “They can’t do this. They know who you are. What happened to you. They can‘t do this.”

It wasn‘t an argument. Not really. Just a conversation they‘d had over and over again. Since that day the first letter came in the mail. And now, with the arrival of JJ‘s ‘Selection’, they were having it again. 

“They can.” JJ glanced around the kitchen, around the tiny little life she and Will had attempted to build. A life now shattered by a single piece of paper. “They have.”

“We have to do something.” Will began to pace, running his hand back and forth over his head like he always did when he was agitated.

“I’ve been chosen, Will. There’s nothing..” she paused on the clenching of her own throat, to quell the tears she could feel threatening to build in her eyes. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Will stopped. He marched across the floor, closing the little distance he’d put between them. “We can run,” he said, placing his hands on her arms, imploring JJ with his eyes.

“Will..”

“I mean it. We could leave. Right now.”

“And go where? There‘s no where we can run that they won‘t find us. And what about our friends? Our family? Can we do that to them?”

“Compared to what they’re going to do to you?”

“Will..” JJ pulled him in close, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders. There were benefits to being Chosen. Her family would be well compensated, enough to retire early. And Will? Well, JJ had already decided, it was best to do this now, end it when JJ could remember things as they were.

Before it all faded away.

**

“Jesus Christ, Prentiss!”

“Dear God, Morgan,” Emily groaned, shuddering her wince while she adjusted her sunglasses. “Could you please stop shouting?”

“I‘d tell you that you look like crap but I‘m guessing you already know that,” Morgan smiled broadly as Emily met him at the elevator. He lifted the extra coffee cup in his hand and extended it to his partner.

“You’re a life saver,” Emily said, taking the cup from him as they entered the elevator. Once inside, she took a long, dramatic drink, ignoring Morgan’s disbelieving stare. She inhaled, leaning a shoulder against the wall. “And no, I’m not hung over.”

The smile on Morgan’s face faded into his patented concerned look, something he’d been wearing more and more of lately. “What is it, Prentiss?”

“It’s that damn synthetic crap.” Emily paused to take another drink of her coffee, wincing again. The second gulp not tasting as pleasurable as the first. “The more I have to drink it, the worse I feel. Honestly, I wish I was hung over.”

“Well,” the smile returned to his lips. “You shouldn’t have to worry that much longer. I saw the new Communications Liaison.”

The elevator filled with silence, the smile on Morgan’s lips growing.

“And?” Emily snapped. She knew she should feel bad, and part of her did, but it was nothing compared to the part of her excited over the prospect of not having to consume anything synthetic ever again.

“And what?” Morgan teased.

“What’s he like?”

The elevator chimed softly as it came to a stop, the doors opening. Morgan took another quick sip of his coffee before stepping forward. “She..” he paused, taking a quick sideways glance at Emily. “Is interesting.”

Without thinking, Emily’s hand reached up and whipped off her glasses. Her shock enough to keep the pain piercing her skull from the light assaulting her eyes temporarily at bay. “She?”

**

“Wait..” JJ’s head snapped up, pen hand freezing. She’d been in the Section Chief’s office for almost a half hour, doing nothing but signing reams of legal documents. She’d signed her name so many times, JJ now had the urge to legally change it. Other than the typical pleasantries that ended as quickly as they’d begun, JJ hadn’t spoken a word, until now. “I thought I was being assigned as a profiler?”

The woman sitting behind the desk across from JJ, Section Chief Erin Strauss, she didn’t lift her head up from the file folder she read from, merely lifted her eyes, peering at JJ over the rim of her glasses, and JJ swallowed hard as she watched as the Section Chief‘s pupils expanded squeezing out the blue-green to a pitch black. “Excuse me.”

“I..” JJ stammered, swallowing hard. “It says here I’m supposed to be the Communications Liaison? I thought I’d be working as a profiler. My credentials..”

“I’ve read your credentials,” Strauss practically growled, the air in the room instantly dropping twenty degrees. “And I know your history,” she paused, eyes narrowing and JJ had to stifle the sudden shudder rippling down her spine, the first real tingling of fear since entering the room with the woman. “And despite your..” she paused, lips opening just enough that JJ could see the tips of her fangs. “Misgivings towards our kind, you were still Chosen. Along with that, you were chosen to be the BAU’s new Communications Liaison.”

“Ma’am, if I may,” the voice speaking was the man sitting next to JJ, her new boss, Agent Hotchner. Strauss turned her gaze towards him. The air crackling, something unspoken in the air between them before Strauss finally nodded, returning her eyes to the folder before her. The corner’s of Hotch’s mouth twitched, the faintest mimicry of a smile, then he turned slightly in his chair, folding his hands together and placing them on his knee. “What did they tell you about Agent Prentiss?”

A hard breath of air passed through JJ’s lips before she caught herself and let her true emotions show. “They didn’t tell me anything. I was Chosen.” JJ shrugged. It’d been two weeks since the last parchment telling JJ of her fate had arrived at her doorstep. Less than two hours later, barely enough time to say her goodbye’s to her family let alone to her fiancé, JJ was whisked away to the Facility where she’d spent the rest of her time in ‘Training’. “Soon, I’m guessing before the end of the day, the blood-bond ceremony will take place and I will become the Companion of Emily Prentiss. What else is there to know?”

Hotch leaned back in his chair, running his fingers over his lips and chin. He turned his head back towards Strauss. “They didn’t tell her.”

JJ‘s eyes darted between the two, unable to focus on just one of them. “Didn’t tell me what?”

“Come with me.” Hotch placed a hand to his tie before rising from his seat. “I think it’s time you met Agent Prentiss.”

**

Like an overly concerned big brother, Morgan sat on the corner of Emily’s desk, watching over her as she eased into her seat, opening a drawer and reaching for the value sized bottle of ibuprofen.

It was the heels Emily heard first, a pounding clack-clack-clack against the linoleum. Then, she heard Penelope’s voice.

“Is it true?” Penelope asked, practically skidding to a stop at Emily’s desk. “Your new Companion is here?”

Emily pulled her sunglasses off, ignoring the stabbing pain in her eyes. “You don’t know?”

“Sweetie,” Penelope smiled back. “Even with my formidable skills, I am unable to obtain that information. Your people are very secretive.”

Emily could only nod her head in agreement. Although ‘secretive’ wouldn’t be her adjective of choice. “Companion and Communications Liaison.”

“Ooh, two for one. Score.”

“And..” Emily drew the word out, smirking. “Morgan’s seen her.”

“Her?” Penelope’s eyes went wide as they snapped towards Morgan. She lunged towards him, clasping her hand on his forearm with an iron clad grip. “If you don’t spill at this very moment..”

“Okay, okay!” Morgan laughed. “But, it’s not like I spoke to the woman or anything, I was coming in when I saw Hotch signing her in.”

Penelope tightened her grip. “Quit stalling. And?”

“And.. Wow!” He looked down at the hand holding his arm. “You know you’re kinda strong.”

Penelope took a step closer. “Which is nothing compared to one of my spells, now talk!”

“Five-six and some change. Late twenties, early thirties. Blonde. Blue-eyed,” he paused, taking another sip from his coffee.

“Oh,” Penelope giggled, eyes darting to Emily then back to Morgan. “You think she’s pretty.”

Morgan shrugged. “I wouldn’t kick her out of the bed for eating crackers.”

Emily straightened in her seat, eyes going distant. “Hotch is coming,” she muttered under her breath, voice lowering, “Someone’s with him.”

Penelope looked from Emily to Morgan. “That never stops being creepy, does it?”

“No.” Morgan rose from Emily’s desk, casually straightening his jacket. “It doesn’t.”

All their eyes turned towards the doors leading into the BAU bullpen. As if on cue, the doors opened, Agent Hotchner opening the door first then stepping to the side to lead someone in.

Emily swallowed hard, hiding her hands beneath her desk as they curled into tight fists, nails digging hard and deep into her flesh. Anything to stifle the always present hunger. It’d been a gnawing ache before, something that could be controlled, contained. But seeing ‘her’, knowing what she was, what she represented. Not the urge to feed, necessarily, but the knowledge that her hunger would, soon, be sated.

The rest of the world trickled away as Emily’s eyes remained glued on the woman. Even with the distance between them, Emily could smell her, could feel the warmth of her body, could hear her heartbeat. It pulsed hard and quick beneath the cool, professional demeanor. Not fear. No, Emily knew fear, she’d *tasted* fear. This was different. And as the woman passed, her eyes quickly darted across the many faces trying not to stare, their eyes momentarily met - and Emily understood. It wasn’t fear that raced the woman’s heart.

It was anger.

Approaching his office, Hotch turned his head towards Emily. He spoke in his normal tone, knowing she could hear him from across the bullpen.

“Prentiss, my office.”

Emily rose, pausing just long enough to dig her nails out of palms, to allow the flesh to heal itself. Then, she began walking towards Hotch’s office.

Penelope spun on her heel, and slugged Morgan on the arm.

“Hey!” he squeaked.

“You said she was pretty,” Penelope growled. “You didn’t say she was hot!”

**

Had she not been so.. hungry, Emily would have immediately recognized that something about this process was wrong. Sometimes, a Companion was found within hours, sometimes months, but there was always a process, one ritualistically professional in its orthodoxy.

This time around, Emily had been without a Companion for almost six months. Due to the law, created long before Emily was born, she was forbidden from feeding on anything but synthetic blood. There were those who found ways around the law. Emily just wasn’t one of them. So she endured. Even if, at times, it felt like the substance meant to keep her alive was killing her.

No longer under her parent’s aegis, she figured the process would be a bit more bureaucratic, the Companions chosen for her less suited towards Emily’s liking. But what she knew of the process and how the Companions were chosen, as Emily opened the door to Hotch’s office, she never dreamed there’d come a day when her Companion..

Hated her.

That’s what Emily felt, what she sensed as she opened the door and her eyes locked on ice-cold blue.

“Sir?”

Instead of sitting behind his desk, Hotch stood before it, arms crossed over her chest. His expression unreadable to those who didn’t know him. To Emily, it said everything.

“Agent Emily Prentiss,” he said, all business. “Jennifer Jareau, the new Communications Liaison and your new Companion.”

Emily extended her hand, forcing a friendly smile onto her face. By rights, by law, though the ceremony had yet to be performed, this woman was now Emily’s, and Jennifer Jareau raised her hand, took Emily’s hand into her own like she was touching a snake. Emily felt the woman’s shudder in her bones.

Emily released her hold, turning to face Hotch. “Sir, what’s going on?”

Hotch inhaled, jaw twitching as he clenched. “Agent Jareau was engaged to be married,” he paused just long enough to watch Emily’s shoulders sag slightly, the understanding coloring her features. “She broke off the engagement.”

“What?” Emily’s head snapped towards Jennifer, eyes widening. “Why?”

JJ turned her gaze towards Emily, looking at her as if Emily were insane. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh no,” Emily groaned, eyes sliding lazily closed as she craned her neck backwards. “They didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?” JJ practically yelled. She turned back to Hotch. “Enough with the secrecy. You have my life. What else is there?”

“Agent Pren..” Hotch stopped to correct himself, to remove the veneer of formality. “Emily’s father was human.”

“I..” JJ stammered, swaying slightly on her feet from an imaginary blow as her mind reeled from this new information. “I thought that was impossible.”

Emily snorted. “Tell my mother.”

“But, what does this mean? For me?”

“Free will,” Emily sighed, running a hand over her face. “It means, even after the blood-bond, you keep your free will.” She wanted to be as honest with her as possible, instead, Emily found her eyes focusing on the far wall. “It means you didn’t have to break up with him.”

The room went quiet, the two women processing the information in their own way. JJ moved first, lifting her eyes towards Hotch. “Sir?”

Hotch opened his mouth to speak, only to interrupted by the chirping of his phone. He turned, reaching behind himself to pick up the receiver. “Agent Hotchner,” was all he said before the room seemed to chill. “Understood.” He stood to his full height, quickly moving behind his desk. “Any other questions will have to wait.” He rummaged through a drawer, lifting his eyes and directing them at both women. “Wheels up in thirty.”

**

“Mom..” JJ pressed her shaking fingers to her lips, quelling the wavering in her voice.

“Jennifer,” her mother sighed in relief. “Is it done?”

“No. Not yet.” JJ glanced around her bare bones office, trying to gain some semblance of composure. “It’s my Sire, Mom. She’s half human.”

“I thought that was impossible.”

“So did I.”

“What does this mean?”

“It means..” JJ felt her lips pulling into a smile, as she let the tears that had been building since she’d closed the door to her office closed flow freely. “It means I won’t forget you. I won‘t forget anything.”

**

“Did you know about this?” Emily growled into her cell, wildly pacing back and forth in the women’s locker room. “Did you have something to do with this?”

“Emily,” Elizabeth Prentiss, Emily’s mother, growled right back. “I can neither admit nor deny any guilt until I know what you’re talking about.”

Emily sat down on a bench. She inhaled deeply, running a hand over her face to try and calm herself. “My new Companion,” she exhaled. “My new _female_ Companion.” Judging by the silence on the other end, Emily knew. “You had no idea, did you?”

“The Council does what the Council wants. And, as I’m sure you’re aware, I haven’t been privy to the Council’s inner workings for awhile now.”

Emily grit her teeth, the implication clear. It wasn’t Emily’s fault but she felt the guilt weighing down on her shoulders anyway.

“I’m also sure,” her mother continued, digging the knife a little deeper, “you’re proclivities played a part in the Council’s selection.”

“Mother,” Emily groaned.

“Compel her.”

“What?” Emily straightened in her seat, eyes suspiciously darting about the locker room, searching for eavesdroppers despite knowing she was alone. “You know I can’t.”

“No. But I can find you someone who can, and will. The blood-bond hasn’t been performed yet. Once it is, she will be immune. Better to have her under your control than the Council’s.”

“Mother?” Emily could feel herself tensing. If she didn’t know better, she could swear she heard genuine concern in her mother’s voice. “What’s going on?”

There was a knock at the door to the locker room.

“Prentiss,” Morgan called to her through the door. “C’mon, we gotta go.”

“Mom,” Emily sighed, already rising from the bench. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Emily?” her mother spoke and, there it was again, that concern in her voice.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

**

The introductions were quick and to the point, Hotch introducing JJ to the rest of the group. Before they were even buckled in, Hotch was in pure business mode.

“The Las Vegas office has requested our assistance. Six weeks ago,” Hotch clicked the button for the digital projector, an image of a desiccated corpse instantly popping up on the screen. “Michael Bronson’s body was found by a jogger in a local park. Two days later,” he clicked again, “Anna Park was discovered in a dumpster a half mile away. Last night, Jesse Kirkland‘s body was found, and we were called in.”

“How long were the victims missing before the bodies were found?” Morgan asked.

“Bronson had been missing for 48 hours. Both Park and Kirkland went missing the night before,” Hotch answered.

“They look like they’ve been dead for years,” Rossi piped in. “Like they’ve been mummified.”

“It says here,” Reid flipped through the case file, eyes quickly scanning the pages. “That they’ve all been exsanguinated.”

“You suspect magic?” Rossi asked, looking directly at Hotch.

“Along with blood, every ounce of moisture was removed from the victims.”

Reid flipped another page. “There’s nothing here tying the victims together, different ages, races..”

“You mean, aside from the obvious,” JJ spoke, cutting Reid off and instantly feeling the eyes of all them on her. “They’re all vampires.”

Hotch pursed his lips tighter, nodding slightly in agreement. “They’re all from minor clans within the city. None with any real power.”

“What do the cops think?” Morgan asked.

“Either they’ve got a serial killer or..”

Emily cut him off. “They’ve got a clan making a power play.”

“Which means they’ve got a potential clan war on their hands. Or worse, one of the clans will use this as a power play.”

Rossi groaned, leaning back in his seat. “I hate politics, vampire or otherwise.”

“We need to hit the ground running on this. Last thing we want is for this to escalate in anyway.” Hotch unclipped his seatbelt, rising from his seat. “Prentiss, Jareau, a moment.”

Both women shared a quizzical look before unfastening their own belts and following. Hotch stood next to the tiny galley on the plane, forearm over his middle, elbow on his wrist as he scratched his chin.

“Sir?” Emily asked.

“Prentiss needs to feed,” he said, looking directly at JJ.

“Sir!” Emily hissed through gritted teeth, trying to keep her voice down.

He turned his gaze towards Emily. But it wasn’t his gaze that caused Emily to stiffen, she felt his anger. “We’re walking into a potential powder keg and I need you at your best.”

“I’m fine.”

“Like Hell you are,” he snapped back, leaning just the slightest of inches towards her. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? You haven’t fed in months. The synthetic isn’t fulfilling your needs.”

“Sir..”

“This isn’t a request, Prentiss,” Hotch lowered his voice, already heading back to his seat. “It’s an order.”

Emily inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. “Yes, sir.”

As she opened her eyes, she couldn’t help taking sideways glance back towards the rest of the team still in their seats, knowing they were looking but not looking, listening but not listening. It was Morgan who looked directly at her, giving Emily a sympathetic nod. Emily gave the slightest of smiles back before lifting her head and turning towards JJ. “Shall we?”

The emotions roiled off JJ like a concussive blast - anger, fear, anxiety. It didn’t stop her from reaching for the handle to the jet’s restroom, or stepping inside.

The tiny room was cramped for one person, a claustrophobe’s worst nightmare with two as Emily squeezed herself next to JJ. They stood face to face, breasts and stomach’s already touching, where they could feel the heat of the other.

“I’m sorry,” Emily sighed wearily.

JJ narrowed her eyes, unable to mask the anger flaring in them. “Why?” she snorted derisively.

“I didn’t ask for this,” Emily said with a little bit of her own anger coloring her voice.

“Yet, here we are.”

“Here we are.”

JJ swallowed hard with revulsion as Emily shifted slightly, and JJ felt every swell and every curve of the woman’s body against her own. She knew she was being, maybe not un-rational, but unreasonable. They were both bound in their own ways, stuck in a situation beyond either’s control. And by the sound of Emily’s voice, she didn’t like this any more than JJ did. JJ inhaled deeply, setting her resolve. “What do you want me to do?”

“I..” Emily stammered. JJ’s heart was racing. Emily could hear her pulse, that thub-thub-thub, an intoxicating, hypnotic rhythm. Already, she could feel the saliva building in her mouth, sweat clamming up the palms of her hands, the heat pooling seductively between her legs. Emily hated it. And she hated herself more for wanting it so goddamned badly. “I need you..” Emily paused, inhaling deeply, which was a big mistake because all she inhaled was JJ’s scent - skin and soap and the slightest tinge of fear - and that little voice in the back of her head just screamed for Emily to take what was rightfully hers. “I need you to unbutton your shirt.”

“What?” JJ’s eyes went wide. This was the role a Companion, fulfilling the needs of the Sire. If Emily wanted to take JJ right here, right now, it’ was JJ’s duty to comply.

Sensing JJ’s sudden unease, Emily couldn’t help but chuckle. “Your neck. I need to get to your neck and your collar..” she lifted a hand and pointed lazily with her finger. “Your collar’s in the way.”

“Oh.” JJ blushed, knowing immediately that Emily knew what JJ was thinking. And yet, Emily’s soft chuckle was enough to put JJ slightly at ease. She was a member of the BAU, after all, an organization JJ had worked hard to get into. Even if they did work with monsters.

She maneuvered her hands between and around the two of them, working her fingers on the buttons of her shirt. She unbuttoned one, then two, then three, pulling her collar open, taking a glance at Emily and appreciating the woman’s attempt at giving JJ a modicum of privacy, Emily’s eyes focused on a side wall.

“Will it hurt?” JJ asked as Emily’s eyes snapped towards hers.

Emily’s face went serious, sympathetic, but serious. “Yes.”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

Emily chuckled half-heartedly. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Are you ready?”

Just like that, JJ’s heart began hammering in her chest. “Yes,” she answered nervously.

“Okay,” Emily nodded. “I’m going to touch you. Is that okay?”

It sounded like the stupidest question in the world, shattering a million of JJ’s preconceptions. Then JJ remembered, Emily wasn’t completely vampire, she was also human. And JJ wondered if maybe, one day, she’d have the opportunity to ask what that meant. “Yes,” she finally answered.

Emily lifted both her arms, placing her fingertips gently on JJ’s collarbone, at the base of her neck. JJ’s shiver reverberated into Emily, heart hammering like it would burst from her chest, JJ’s fear bubbling back to the surface.

“Please,” Emily whispered, closing her eyes as the heat flared within her. She’d forgotten how good fear smelled. Forgotten how good it tasted. That scent alone was enough for Emily‘s fangs to pop out painfully, like an uncontrolled erection. “Don’t be afraid.”

She drifted her left hand higher, pressing it gently to JJ’s neck so JJ would tilt her head. JJ complied and Emily swept the silky blonde hair aside, exposing her true target. She could see the carotid artery, pulsing just beneath JJ’s skin. Emily opened her mouth, extended her tongue and ran it flat up the length of JJ’s neck, anesthetizing the skin with her saliva. JJ gasped, shuddering against Emily.

“Jennifer..” Emily whispered gently.

“JJ,” she answered quickly. “Everyone calls me JJ.”

“JJ,” Emily smiled. “I want you to inhale, slowly and deeply three times. On the third time, I want you to hold your breath. Understand?”

Nodding, JJ glanced about the tiny cabin one last time before squeezing her eyes shut. It’s not that she’d never imagined this moment before, it’d always been a little more nightmarish. There’d never been this coaxing before, never this.. consideration for her well being. That was never JJ’s impression of vampires.

Emily mustered what could only be considered a mountain of resolve as she waited for JJ to find her courage. The fear was just radiating off the woman now, an intoxicating blend of pheromones that had Emily practically drooling. But she waited, and was rewarded for her patience with the sound of JJ’s slow intake of breath, followed by a ragged exhale. Then again. And again. Then, JJ inhaled for a final time. And Emily..

Sank in her fangs.

Emily’s eyes rolled in the back of her head, unable to contain the growl that rumbled up her throat as JJ twitched uncontrollable against her.

JJ’s mouth went slack with a silent scream, tears instantly welling in the corners of her eyes. The pain was unbelievable, unlike anything she’d ever felt before, unlike anything she was certain a human could withstand. Emily sank her fangs into JJ’s neck and it felt as if every nerve ending were suddenly on fire.

Then, JJ felt Emily pulling, sucking the blood from her artery. In a flash, the pain was gone, replaced with the sensation of pleasure that bordered on the painful.

Emily allowed herself this - this one moment of pleasure. The blood was one thing. Something she didn’t realize how much she craved until that first coppery taste splashed against the back of her throat. Emily was never one to mix feeding with sex. Something she considered a mistake and never wanted to commit again. Which was why she always preferred her Companions be male. But now that it was here, blood and sex, Emily allowed herself to give in.

She felt the fear melt into pleasure with that first pull of her mouth. Already JJ’s body was feverishly warm, the scent of her aroused sex filling Emily’s nostrils. On Emily’s second pull, JJ’s hips arced, pushing her crotch against Emily’s thigh. By the third pull, there was no doubt to what this was, their rhythm, as Emily pressed and JJ pushed back, and it was no longer just JJ’s blood that Emily wanted.

She slowed her pulls, getting in three arcing grinds before inhaling and pulling again. JJ let out little whimper-groans with each push of Emily’s thigh, pressing herself down harder and harder each time. Her hands grasped at Emily’s hips, pulling her in deeper, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the tension churned and coiled deep in the pit of her belly.

When JJ came, a guttural cry releasing from her throat, Emily sank her fangs in deeper, squeezing her eyes tighter as her insides clenched right before she too was plummeting over the edge.

The key was to never take too much, to always leave sated but never full. Another mistake Emily had learned too late rather than before. As much as she wanted to extend this, to listen to the voice begging to drain JJ dry, to ride the aftershocks as the blood filled her body, Emily knew she couldn’t. She stilled her convulsing hips, gently eased her fangs from JJ’s throat, then ran her tongue over the wounds, maintaining their contact just long enough to watch the tiny wounds heal.

Emily moved back as much as she could in the cramped space, which wasn’t much. She wanted to offer words of encouragement to her new Companion but as she looked at JJ’s face, with her eyes still squeezed shut, brows twitching, lips pursing, it wasn’t the usual looks Companions usually had after that first time - astonishment, relief, arousal. No, everything written on JJ’s face was something Emily hadn’t seen before.

Shame.

Slowly, Emily backed away as best she could in the tiny space, opening the bathroom door, quickly closing it behind her and slinking into the first empty seat she could find.


	2. Chapter 2

“Agent Hotchner. Chief Allan May.”

They’d barely entered the Las Vegas Police Department before they were greeted by the Police Chief. Hotch extended his hand.

“I thought we’d skip the formalities and let your people get to work,” he said with a firm shake before releasing his hand. “We got another body. Found about an hour before you guys got here.”

“Another vampire?” Hotch asked.

The Chief nodded his head. “No one’s touched the crime scene on my orders.”

“The unsub’s definitely escalating,” Reid said aloud.

Hotch turned towards the group, already in work mode. “Garcia, get set up. Reid, stay here and gather as much as you can. Morgan and Rossi, I want you at the crime scene. Prentiss, Jareau,” he began walking towards the door. “You’re with me.”

**

Emily sat in the backseat as Hotch drove, JJ in the passenger seat. Emily had a good idea as to where they were going. Why they were bringing JJ with them, Emily didn’t have the answer to that. While she trusted Hotch with her life, sometimes the man’s actions had a tendency to leave her clueless.

“Have you entered a covenant before?” Hotch asked, directing his question to JJ.

“No, sir.”

“Consider it a foreign embassy, for Riftlings. Our laws no longer apply. We are there as guests. Understood?” Hotch barely waited for her nod. “I’ll enter first. While you and Prentiss haven’t blood-bonded, you are to act as her Companion. Always walk behind her, eyes to the floor, and don’t speak unless spoken to. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.” JJ pursed her lips, clenching her jaw. Hotch wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. Things any human didn’t already know. But knowing and putting into practice were two different things. JJ had spent her life avoiding all things vampire related, now she was dead in the center of it.

The car rolled to a stop at the valet entrance of the Golden Towers, located off the main strip. Before the Rift, there’d been no Las Vegas. After, humans found a fully formed city in the heart of a barren state. It was the humans that named it Las Vegas. Before then, it’d always been known as ‘Sin City’.

“Wait!” Emily suddenly said as she circled around the front of the SUV.

Emily looked directly at JJ then began peeling off jacket to her suit. “Take off your jacket and put on mine.”

“What?” JJ looked from Emily to Hotch, searching for a sign from her new boss.

“Prentiss?” Hotch asked, looking just as puzzled as JJ.

“We haven’t bonded,” Emily explained. “And we’re about to walk into a vamp stronghold with a Happy Meal on legs.” Emily stepped closer to JJ, extending her arm, holding out her jacket. “Until we’re bonded, you can still be compelled. As long as no one gets too close, you’ll at least smell like you’re mine.”

“Sir?” JJ turned her eyes to Hotch. “I can stay in the car.”

Hotch inhaled, placing his hands on his hips. He stayed silent for several moments before nodding his head, making his decision. “Put the jacket on. A federal agent showing up with their Companion would be seen as a sign of dominance within the organization. And I can’t send Emily in alone.”

JJ decided not to question the last statement, but she didn’t really like the first one. This was her life now, bonded to a vampire. But, until the blood-bond was performed, there was that little sliver of freedom, the possibility of an out. Taking Emily’s jacket, would be another tiny acquiescence, closing the door to her freedom just a little more.

There were also the potential consequences should JJ refuse - the reprimand from work, and there was no telling what the Council would do to her refusing her Chosen status. In the end, JJ did all that she could do.

She put on Emily’s jacket.

They entered through the main lobby, the sounds of slot machines like an assault on the ears. Hotch approached the concierge desk caddy corner to the hotel check-in. He fished out his badge, flashing it at the young man behind the counter. “Special Agent Hotchner. We’re here to see the Duke.”

Judging by his reaction, eyes going wide as the blood drained from his face, the concierge was human. With shaking hands, he quickly dialed his phone. “There are Federal Agents here to see the Duke,” his voice trembled as he whispered. “Yes.” He set the receiver down. “Someone will be here shortly.”

Less than a minute later, a woman in her late fifties, her silver hair style elegantly to match her outfit. Met the agents in the lobby.

“Follow me, please,” was all she said before turning on her heel and taking them towards the back elevators. She led them through a side door into another hallway, where two men in suits and sunglasses stood guarding a private elevator.

The elevator doors opened, the secretary stepping to the side. “After you,” she said with a polite wave of her hand.

The doors closed behind them. The secretary pulled on the badge attached to her jacket, swiping against the access panel before pressing the button for the top floor.

“Did you feel that?” Prentiss asked aloud.

“Yeah,” Hotch muttered back.

“Feel what?” JJ asked. Hotch darted his eyes back towards her, jaw twitching minutely, a silent admonishment for speaking out of turn. JJ inwardly kicked herself, remembering to lower her head.

“Magic,” Emily answered, ignoring Hotch’s quiet display of anger. “There’s a protection spell around the entire building.”

“Level eight,” Hotch spoke to Emily.

“Level nine,” Emily said with a shake of her head. “At least.”

“Isn’t that in violation of the treaty?” Hotch said, this time to the secretary standing before them.

“That,” the woman spoke, never looking back at either of them, “is something to be discussed with the Duke.”

The elevator stopped, the doors quietly opening to another lobby, a bit less spacious but no less opulent, and much more guarded. There were six men in the lobby and, as the doors opened, all their eyes were on the three occupants inside.

Hotch, Emily and JJ were each frisked, their guns relinquished before the secretary led them through a pair of double doors and into the Duke’s office.

The room was big, taking up almost a third penthouse levels floor space. The top floor of the building, the ceiling spanned two stories, with floor to ceiling windows. The windows were screened, the sky behind it dark, the afternoon sun as dim as a moon. The room was colored in shades of blue, gold and white, the colors of the clan. A large desk sat at the far end of the room. A giant desk, almost five feet high and twice as wide, marked with ancient carvings, symbols and writings. There was a bar, a couch, a widescreen TV on a wall, several paintings, but not much else.

The three of them stood in silence, Hotch and Emily side by side - Hotch with his arms folded across his chest, Emily at an attentive stance, her hands clasped behind her, and JJ, behind Emily, eyes down, hands clasped before her.

The doors behind them opened, but only Hotch turned to see who had entered. A man and a woman, the man with hair as black as midnight, the woman with hair as white as snow, their outfits complimenting their hair. They circled around the trio of agents like cats stalking their prey, fangs glinting in the dim light, their eyes black as coals.

“It smells like dog in here,” the man sneered, glaring at Hotch then turned his eyes towards Emily. “She’s pretty.”

“Yes,” the woman purred her agreement. “But she’s prettier.”

“And she smells..” The man stopped, eyes lazily sliding closed as he inhaled deeply. He slowly opened his eyes, focusing solely on JJ. “Unclaimed. No. She smells..” He took another long inhale. “Pure. I wonder? Does she taste as good as she smells?”

“I don’t know,” the woman said in a childish sing-song voice, flicking the tip of her tongue over the end of fang. “Why don‘t we find out.”

The woman reached out. In a flash, Emily moved, her hand clasping around the woman’s wrist like a snake striking its prey. Hotch moved just as quickly, taking a step back, extending his arm protectively in front of JJ as his eyes bore directly at the man standing before him. His message clear - this was vampire business, but he had no problem stepping in.

Emily growled, baring her fangs as she tightened her grip. “Don’t you dare!”

“Or you’ll do what?” The woman stepped into Emily’s personal space. “Half-breed!”

“ENOUGH!” a male’s voice cracked like a sonic boom, reverberating through the entire space like a concussive wave. Immediately, the man and the woman shrank within themselves, backing away as they bowed their heads towards the voice.

The Duke of Bacchinus entered the room. For the three surprised agents, he was the largest man any of them had ever seen. The Duke was over seven feet tall, his head barely missing the top of the doors by mere inches. His skin was as dark as the two vampires before the three agents were pale. His bald head covered in tattoos similar to the carvings on the desk. In his three-piece suit, he was built in proportion to his height, like looking at a quarterback zoomed in a little too close, he filled one’s vision.

In three quick steps, he was in the center of the room, baring fangs as long as the average person’s middle finger.

“Act like animals in your own House,” he growled, the glasses on the bar rattling. “But don’t you dare do it in mine.”

“I’m sorry, uncle,” the man spoke first, his voice small like a child’s.

“I’m sorry, uncle,” the woman repeated.

“Now get out of here before I toss both of you out the window.”

The two siblings bowed in tandem before quickly scurrying out the door. The Duke waited until the door closed behind them before taking a large, cleansing breath and clasping his hands behind his back.

“I must apologize for their behavior. My sister’s children. Insufferable little brats,” he chuckled the last part under his breath. “And what is it I can do for two special agents from the esteemed BAU?”

“I’m Special Agent Aaron Hotchner and this is..”

“I know who this is,” the Duke cut him off, turning his eyes towards Emily, lips curling into a broad smile. “Emily Prentiss.”

Her name spoken by the Duke took Emily by surprise. A puzzled expression crossed Emily’s face before she remembered her manners and bowed her head before the Duke. “If we’ve met, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

The Duke chuckled. “You were barely a toddler the last time I saw you.” He stepped towards her. Gently, he lifted a hand, one the size of Emily’s head, pressing a knuckle beneath her chin and lifting until their eyes met. When he spoke again, he spoke in the language of the vampires, “ _It’s been a long time since I’ve had a member of the Court in my House. And in the House of Bacchinus, you.. do not bow_.”

He smiled, and Emily could feel herself blushing from the heat of his gaze, from the power that just radiated off him. Intentionally, he blinked and, just like that, the connection was gone. He lowered the finger holding Emily’s chin, stepping backwards then turning on his heel and walking towards his desk.

“So,” he said, sitting down in the giant chair that seemed small for him. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“With your permission,” Hotch spoke. “We’d like to investigate a series of murders involving your kind.”

“Strange, don’t you think?” the Duke said aloud, sounding more like he was musing to himself than speaking to the agents. “We are immortal and, yet, we still die.”

“So, you’re aware of the murders.”

“Of course I’m aware!” the Duke snapped, his black eyes seeming to go even darker.

“Another body was discovered this morning,” Emily said, sensing that Hotch had inadvertently stepped over his boundaries. “We believe magic may be involved.”

The Duke leaned back in his chair, bringing his hands up, creating a steeple with his fingers. “I will on one condition. If you catch him, you give him to me. This is my territory.”

“If the unsub is vampire,” Hotch said. “If he’s human, or a non-vampire Riftling, he goes with us.”

“Agreed.”

Hotch nodded. “Thank you for your time. We’ll try to work quickly and discreetly.”

Despite the Duke’s earlier words, Emily bowed her head before turning to follow Hotch.

The Duke waited until all three were close to the doors before calling her name, “Emily Prentiss.”

She stopped in her tracks, taking a puzzled sideways glance towards Hotch, her expression telling the man she had no idea what was going on. “Duke,” she said, bowing her head as she turned to face the man. 

He said nothing in response and Emily knew what ever it is he had to say, he wanted her close. She walked back towards his desk, a task that took a little longer without the Duke’s long legs. Stopping only when she reached the edge of his desk, Emily took an attentive stance, clasping her hands behind her back but, this time, she didn’t bow. “Duke?”

Reaching into his breast pocket, his smile broadened. He pulled out a plain, white business card, handing it to Emily. “ _For the day_ ,” he said, speaking in their ancient tongue, “ _When you need a friend in high places._ “

**

Hotch waited until Emily slid into the backseat, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror. “What’d he say to you?”

She kept her face blank, making her expression as unreadable as possible. “Nothing related to the case.”

**

The rest of the team were already assembled at the station when the three returned. The Police Chief had allotted them a large meeting room, where Reid had already posted several photos of the victims on a whiteboard.

“What have we got?” Hotch asked, taking a seat at the table.

“There’s definitely magic involved,” Rossi answered first. “All the victims had a strong scent of sulfur on their bodies. Indicative of a spell of some sort.”

“White or Black Magic?”

“Don’t know,” Rossi shrugged in his inimitable manner. “In all my years, I’ve never seen a spell like this.”

Morgan leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, coffee cup clasped between his hands. “Each of the victims was subdued with a taser. They all have restraint marks around their wrists and ankles. There aren’t any defensive wounds. Whoever this guy was..”

“Or woman,” Emily immediately corrected.

Morgan gave her a half-grin. “He.. or *she* was able to get close first.”

“Garcia,” Hotch spoke at the speak phone centered directly in the middle of the table. “Anything?”

“No, Sir,” Garcia quickly fired back, the sounds of typing softly heard through the tiny speaker. “I mean, none of them were part of the 99 percentile. But there’s nothing in their financials that even hints at them crossing paths.”

“They wouldn’t,” Reid spoke. “Each was from a different clan. Globally, there are approximately 208 clans with new clans forming and old ones dying out every day. Within Nevada alone, there are 37 clans. Our victims weren’t part of the upper echelon. They weren’t part of any House, or related to royalty, they more like the middle class of vampire society.”

Hotch pursed his lips. They were getting nowhere. “What about the Companions? Have the police been able to get anything out of them?”

“Good luck with that,” Emily snorted then felt all the eyes of the room on her. “Their blood-bond has been severed, and violently. It can take a vampire weeks to mentally and physically recover from that loss.” She didn’t have to remind them of the last time Emily had lost her Companion. They were there. “A human? The longer they’re with their Sire, the longer the recovery. Some of them? They never recover.”

“But what if this is about the Companions?” JJ finally spoke after hovering in the back of the room, leaning against a wall and quietly sipping from her coffee. She straightened at the sudden feel of all their eyes on her, finding Emily and quickly darting her eyes away.

“What do you mean?” Hotch asked.

“The first victim,” Reid quickly hopped out of his seat, pulling one of the files off the table and taking it with him. He tucked a long lock of hair behind his ear and Emily watched as JJ tried not to widen her eyes, finally noticing Reid’s ears were pointed. “He had three Companions,” Reid wrote on the board as he quickly spoke. “The second and third both had two Companions. This last victim?” he paused, twisting his lips, silently kicking himself for not noticing the connection. “He had five.” He turned back towards the group, his eyes bright and wide. “In the late 70’s there was an anti-Companion movement..”

“The Human Army,” Rossi added.

Reid snapped his fingers. “Right! They saw the taking of Companions as a form of sexual slavery and nothing different from the human farms vampires maintained before the Rift.”

“But they were a fringe movement,” Rossi said. “Never gained much traction.”

“They wouldn’t.” Emily leaned forward. “Attacking what’s seen as a food supply? The Council, let alone Royalty, would come down like a hammer of God.”

“Which they did, if I remember,” Rossi nodded with his head.

“Yeah,” Reid added. “They were squelched pretty quickly. But little bands of resistance have always remained.”

“Garcia,” Hotch spoke at the phone.

“I’m already on it, sir.”

“Cross-check it with family members of the Companions. See if there’s a connection.”

“If I find anything, you will be the first to know.”

Hotch disconnected the line, leaving Garcia to her work without any more distractions. “This is good, but we need more. If the link isn’t the Companions, we’re still at square one.”

Rossi scooted his chair back before rising from his seat. “I have an old contact I’d like to talk to. He paid way more attention in our Alchemy classes than I did.”

“Good,” Hotch nodded. “Take Reid with you. Prentiss, start talking to the heads of the clans, arrange interviews with any remaining family members.” She was up and out of her seat before he finished talking. He began rising out of his own chair. “Morgan, you‘re with me. “Jareau, I want you here. The police have kept a pretty tight lid, so far, but it’s only a matter of time before word gets out. I want the narrative working in our favor.”

**

JJ knocked politely before entering the room where Garcia worked. She currently shared the tiny space with the Vegas PD’s computer tech. By all appearances, it looked like Garcia had taken over.

“Hey, Princess,” Garcia said, never looking up from her monitor as she quickly typed.

“Hotch asked me to give this to you.” JJ placed another file on top of the growing stack next to Garcia’s keyboard.

“Thank you, my sweets.”

JJ smiled at the unexpected terms of endearment. She leaned back, folding her arms across her chest, placing a shoulder to the wall. “Where’s your partner in crime?”

“Him?” The corner of Garcia’s lip pulled into a wicked half-smile. “Suffering from performance envy.”

“Ah,” JJ answered with the raising of her eyebrows.

Garcia’s fingers slowed to the speed of a normal human. “You can ask, you know.”

“Ask what?”

“What I am, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t wondering.”

“Oh my god,” Garcia turned in her seat, spinning towards JJ as her entire face lit up. “You are such a horrible liar! For the record, I’m a witch.” She spun back around, resuming her typing. “A muse, actually but, you know, six of one, yadda, yadda, yadda.”

JJ shifted a little nervously on the balls of her feet, feeling like she was back in high school, sharing gossip in the girls bathroom. “I’ve already figured out Hotch. Reid kind of caught me off guard, you know, with the ears.”

Garcia giggled. “Whatever you do, do *not* call him Legolas. He hates that.”

“Noted,” she said with a small chuckle. “Rossi?”

“Mage. He’s like a grand poo-bah of wizards. And, last but not least, tall, dark and Adonis-y?” Garcia stilled her fingers once more, turning in her seat to face JJ again. “100 percent human.”

JJ blinked, darting her eyes away from Garcia, finding something of interest on the far wall. The playful smile on Garcia’s lips receded, her expression turning more sympathetic.

“You want to know about Prentiss, don’t you?” Garcia tilted her head pensively. Always guided by her instincts, Garcia‘s first impulse was to protect her family. Not that it was by choice, JJ was part of them now. It was best for everyone that things worked out. “You can trust her.”

“What if I can’t?” JJ stepped deeper into the room, taking the empty seat next to Garcia. “What if it’s not in me to trust her? To trust a vampire?”

“Oh, sugar,” Garcia smiled, patting JJ playfully on the arm. “Trust me, Emily Prentiss is no ordinary vampire.”

“So I’ve heard,” JJ muttered. She nonchalantly picked up one of Garcia’s pens, smiling at the ornate troll doll attached to the end. Placing it back down, she turned her head towards Garcia. “What happened to her last Companion?”

Garcia went tight-lipped, twisting jerkily back towards her computer.

JJ reached out, placing her hand gently on Garcia’s forearm. “Penelope, please. I know I’m supposed to talk to Emily about this. She..” JJ paused, swallowing hard. “She scares me. They all do.”

On the first try, JJ had struck Garcia’s Achilles Heel. “He was murdered.” Her eyes widened as the blood left JJ’s face. “Emily didn’t do it! God no! You just.. You have to understand. When you blood-bond, you won’t be like other Companions. You’ll still have..”

“Free will.” JJ thought back to all the Companions she’d ever seen. Humans turned into shells, ghosts of what they were. She couldn’t wrap her head around that fate not being hers.

“His name was Roger,” Garcia continued, shuddering convulsively at the mere mention of his name. “Complete and total slime ball. Morgan punched him one time for hitting on me. My hero. Anyway, he was barely with Emily for a year.” Garcia suddenly stopped, struck by the sudden thought. “You do know you won’t be living with her, right? Emily doesn’t have her Companions live with her. Right, anyway, Emily and Roger were like oil and water. They just did *not* mix well, like, at all. Taking Roger’s free will would have been a blessing, let me tell you. Long story short, he was cheating on her, sleeping with another vampire.”

“Wait, I thought that was illegal?”

“It totally is. Not that Roger cared. Telling you, ego as massive as Mt. Saint Helen’s. Anyway, the husband comes home, catches Roger giving his husband the back door special and..” she paused as another shudder trembled her body. “Cut both their heads off with a machete.”

“Ouch.”

“No kidding. Emily was in the bullpen when it happened. I’ll never forget the sound of the scream she made.” She shook her head to erase the thought, blonde curls bouncing. “I don’t know what standards the Council uses to select Companions but, believe me, you are *totally* a few hundred steps up from Roger. No! A thousand.”

JJ narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I don’t get.”

“What do you mean?”

“Of all the people to choose as a Companion, why choose me?” her voice trailed to a whisper, as if she were saying the thought aloud.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

JJ went quiet, quickly rising from her seat. “I’m sorry. I gotta go.”

“JJ?” Garcia called out to the woman, only to watch as JJ retreated, closing the door behind her and leaving Garcia alone.

**

One hand on the wheel, Morgan used the other to pull his sunglasses down his nose as he gave his partner a long and hard sideways glance.

Emily tried her hardest to ignore him, but the man’s stare was like an itch in a very uncomfortable place. “Morgan,” she sighed, irritated.

Morgan smiled, pushing his sunglasses back up. “She’s pretty.”

“Morgan,” Emily repeated, her voice a little lower, a little more warning in it.

“I’m just sayin’,” Morgan laughed. “And judging by your whole ‘Morgan’ routine, I’m not the only one who thinks she’s pretty. Judging by the sounds the two of you were making..”

Emily rolled her eyes. “How a human reacts to blood letting is a physical response..”

“I know, I know, and not a true indicator of their emotional state. What about your emotional state?”

Emily set her elbow on the windowsill, running a hand over her head. “She hates me, Morgan. Vampires, I mean. And I don’t mean hate in the general sense. I’ll give it to her, she hides it well. But, like today with the Duke, here we are in the House of Bacchinus with the largest Riftling I’ve ever seen and, instead of being afraid, she was seething with rage beneath the surface.”

“I don’t get it. Considering the process of selection, wouldn’t the Council have noticed this.”

“Maybe,” she said before going quiet again.

“Prentiss,” Morgan almost snapped. “Talk to me.”

“Nothing,” Emily shook her head. “Just something my mother said to me before we came to Vegas. She told me to be careful. First Roger, now JJ..” she let her voice trail. Her cell started to ring. Thankful for the interruption, Emily quickly answered. “Prentiss.” Seconds later, she snapped the device closed, sliding it back in her pocket. “Turn around. We got another body.”

“Already?” Morgan turned on the sirens before making a quick u-turn. He straightened the wheel and gunned the gas. “And don’t think just because we have another body you’re off the hook for this conversation. You think the Council’s setting you up with incompatible Companions?”

“For the record, you said it. I didn’t.”

“Damn, Prentiss. Who’d you piss off? This time?”

Emily clenched her jaw, eyes scanning blankly at the horizon. “Good question.”


	3. Chapter 3

Rossi, Reid and Hotch were already there by the time Morgan and Emily arrived. A block off the old Vegas Strip, it was an abandoned restaurant that hadn’t seen life in years. The cement was cracked, filled with wildly growing weeds, graffiti painted slats of wood covered the windows.

The inside was the complete opposite. The floor was polished to a high sheen, metal tables filled the expansive space, and on every table were beakers, mixing bowls, Bunsen burners. An extensive book shelf ran against an entire wall, floor to ceiling overflowing with books.

Morgan and Emily walked towards a backroom, an office. There, slumped face down at the desk, was a body, the victim of several well placed bullets. Blood seeped out from under his face and shoulders, dripping into puddles on the floor.

“What have we got?” Morgan asked.

“One Marcus O’Reilly,” Rossi answered, flipping through a spell book. “Your local Black Magic dealer.”

Emily stepped closer to the body, she leaned down slightly to get a better look. “He’s not a vampire.”

“Nope.” Rossi closed the book in his hand, sliding it back onto the shelf before pulling down another. “Second level mage, before he was supposedly stripped of his powers. My colleague tipped me off. Said if anyone was dealing in Black Magic, it was this guy.”

“But if he was stripped of his powers, how was he still dealing in Magic?” Emily asked.

“Like anything,” Rossi said. “Knowledge is the base of all power.”

Reid, who’d been standing by the desk next to Emily, rose to his full height. “O’Reilly was well educated in magic. Even with his powers stripped, he had the knowledge to create spells. It appears our victim here was the one creating the spell that killed the vampires.”

Morgan folded his arms over his chest. “What kind of spell are we talking?”

“Other than Black Magic?” Rossi snapped the book in his hand closed. “I have no idea. We could be dealing with something ancient or something brand new. This guy..” He gazed about the room. “Definitely knew his stuff.”

“So why kill him?” Emily asked.

“Covering his tracks?” Morgan added.

“What if..” Reid gesticulated with his hands as he stepped away from the desk and into the center of the room. “The unsub no longer needed O’Reilly. If O’Reilly was able to create Black Magic without his mage abilities..”

“Why couldn’t the unsub?” Rossi finished for him.

**

It was after two in the morning when the finally arrived at the hotel, on Hotch’s orders. Every lead they’d found had lead to a string of dead ends. More and more, it was looking to be one of ‘those’ kinds of cases. The ones that never ended and left them in a foreign place for days, if not, weeks on end.

Emily was looking forward to nothing more than a nice hot shower before catching a few hours as she slipped the key card into the slot. It was JJ’s first day at the BAU. The woman hadn’t anticipated needing to bring a go-bag, and hadn’t brought one with her. And now, she was sharing a room with her soon to be Sire. Sharing a room..

With only one bed.

“You’ve got to be *fucking* kidding me!” Emily groaned, dropping everything - jacket, overnight bag, purse - onto the floor. “I’ll call the front desk. See if they can get us a different room.”

“Why?” JJ asked, anger coloring her voice. “Isn’t this what’s expected?”

“I don’t sleep with my Companions,” Emily snapped back, instantly regretting it. “I’m sorry. It’s.. it’s been a long day.”

JJ brought a hand to her forehead, massaging it with her fingers. “No, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. And..” She lifted her head, daring to meet Emily’s eyes. “I know you don’t sleep with your Companions.”

“Thanks.” Emily forced a soft smile onto her lips. It was the smallest of détentes but, at this point in time, she’d take what she could get. “I have an extra t-shirt and shorts in my bag. Why don’t you shower first and I’ll try and get this mess sorted out.”

JJ nodded in agreement, setting down her few things and entering the bathroom. Once the door closed and Emily heard the water running, she collapsed in one of the soft chairs flanking the small table.

Emily called the front desk, only to be told the entire hotel was booked for the entire week due to a convention in town. After, she spoke to the concierge, arranged for a cot to be delivered to the room, then made purchased new clothes for JJ to wear tomorrow.

After that, Emily leaned back in her chair. She should have been exhausted. Instead, Emily was wired, and not from the job. She had JJ’s blood running through her veins and, as she raised her hands curling them in and out of fists, she felt more alive than had since, well, since before Roger. If she thought about it, she hadn’t felt this alive in years.

The Duke’s nephew had been right. JJ did taste.. pure. Clean, young, healthy. Emily couldn’t help closing her eyes, feeling that blood running free in her veins, remembering the taste of it in her mouth. She couldn’t help remembering the feel of JJ’s body, lithe and lean with soft curves in all the right places, against her own. It’d been awhile since Emily had been with a woman, been with a woman with blood as fresh and pure as JJ’s in her veins.

Emily inhaled deeply. Immediately, Emily regretted it. Now, JJ’s scent filled her. And Emily couldn’t help but find it intoxicating. That perfect mix of skin, perfume, shades of sweat, and the tiniest hint of musk from their earlier encounter. It was that musk, the scent of arousal, that caused Emily’s mouth to go slack, her fangs to extend as something oily and warm slithered deep within the pit of her stomach.

Despite her best intentions, Emily inhaled again, deeper. Inhaled until she could smell through the door of the bathroom, through the door of the shower stall. Emily inhaled until she could smell JJ again. The dull heat between her legs flared to a tiny flame, eliciting a low growl from Emily’s throat, causing her pupils to widen.

Then, Emily was rising from her chair, slowly walking towards the bathroom, mouth filling with saliva at the idea of tasting JJ again. All of her.

She grasped the doorknob to the bathroom, tongue sliding over her lower lip as she twisted. It was locked. Which made no difference to Emily. Conquering a locked bathroom was nothing more than the simple twist of the wrist.

A knock at the door snapped Emily from her haze. She blinked, yanking her hand back from the bathroom as if bitten, shocked at her sudden loss of control.

“Just a second,” she called out. Wiping her hands on her thighs, giving herself a moment to calm down.

The concierge arrived with the cot and some extra bedding, alerting Emily that JJ’s clothes would arrive in the morning.

Emily began preparing the cot when the bathroom opened, steam billowing out as JJ exited, clad in Emily’s black FBI t-shirt and matching shorts. The clothes Emily typically wore for Morgan’s Saturday pick-up games in the park. It’d never crossed her mind that this particular outfit could be deemed ‘sexy’. Until today.

“You are not sleeping on that cot,” JJ half-grinned, folding her arms over her chest.

“I’d fight you for it but I think I have an unfair advantage.”

“I don’t know. I have a few moves of my own.”

Emily couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the most relaxed JJ had been since arriving at the BAU this morning, Emily decided not to push her luck. She walked towards her bag, rummaging for her clothes.

JJ walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge, curling a leg under her. “Can I ask you a question?”

Emily lifted her eyes, looking back at JJ through the mirror. “Sure.”

“Do I have a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting out of this?”

Emily’s head snapped up, surprised JJ would even vocalize the question. The answer, of course, was yes. Emily had done it twice before, and paid a heavy price. It’d taken the Council six months to find her replacement after Roger. Who knew how long they’d take if she rejected JJ. Worse, deep down, Emily knew she didn’t want to reject JJ. So, she lied. “No,” she answered flatly, watching JJ as she broke their eye contact, turning her head away.

“Can I ask you a question?” Emily waited until JJ’s eyes lifted, turning around and leaning against the desk, folding her arms across her chest. “Why do you hate me? Hate vampires?”

JJ snorted derisively. “Aside from the obvious?”

“Consider me obtuse,” Emily snorted just as derisively. “Explain it to me.”

The anger JJ kept tightly contained quickly bubbled to the surface, her eyes going hot, dark. “A month ago, I was shopping for wedding dresses with my mother. Then I get a letter, and all those hopes and dreams I’d had were gone. I’m shipped off to a facility, placed in a room no bigger than a jail cell. There was no ‘me’ anymore, it was all about my new Sire’s happiness and how my life was about nothing more than bringing you pleasure.”

Emily swallowed, jaw clenching as she felt the weight crushing down on her shoulders. “It won’t be like that.”

“Really? Then tell me, will you let me get married? Put *my* career first? Let me start a family?”

“I.. I don’t know.”

“Then quit with this bullshit ‘I’m different’ PR! You say I have free will, but it’s only at your choosing!”

“You think this is easy for me?” Emily growled, hand clenching into a fist. “That I wanted this? I didn’t ask to be this way. I didn’t..” Emily inhaled, closing her eyes as she swallowed the darkness churning to a boil within her, screaming for her to pounce, to take what was rightful hers and force JJ into submission.

Instead, Emily turned back around, hurriedly grabbing her night clothes before she stomped towards the bathroom. She stopped at the entrance, bowing her head, features obscured by the curtain of hair falling over her face. “All you see is the vampire,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe, just once, you could see the human.”

**

Emily hadn’t spoken a word all morning. She and Morgan met in the hotel lobby, sunglasses already on her face, wearing that expression that told Morgan everything.

It was Morgan’s idea to stop for coffee, choosing someplace on the way instead of the lobby, knowing Emily probably wanted to get moving as quickly as possible.

They sat at a table outside the café, sitting in silence for as long as Morgan could stand it.

“Talk to me, Prentiss.”

Emily sighed, pulling her glasses up onto her head. She ran a tired hand over her face before slumping back in her seat. “I almost lost control last night,” she paused, watching his face. Morgan could get angry sometimes, to an explosive degree, but he’d never condemned or judged her for what she was. “Hotch never should have made me feed before we blood-bonded.” She raised her cup, meaning to have another sip, then changed her mind, setting the cup back down. “I want her, Morgan. I want her so fucking bad I can taste it. It’s just.. it’s not just the vampire talking.”

Morgan shrugged. “Why not just blood-bond? Get it over with?”

“Because she hates me. Hates vampires. Like, really, seriously down to the marrow of her bones _hates_ ,” Emily paused fiddling with the sunglasses she’d set down on the table. “She wants me to reject her.” She lifted her eyes, peering at Morgan through her bangs. “And I maybe, sort of alluded that it was impossible.”

“Dayum, Emily.” He made that little growling noise he occasionally made when he was angry. Not that Emily needed Morgan to growl for her to know that. She could feel it. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You have to tell her.”

“I know..”

“..Because if she finds out from anyone else but you..”

“..Derek, I know..”

“..or you wait until after the blood-bond.” He leaned forward a little more. “It’ll be like Roger all over again.”

“No.” Emily shook her head softly, a lifetime’s worth of mistakes and regrets written all over her face. “It’ll worse.”

**

“Genius at work,” Garcia called through the closed door of her office. “This had better be good.”

JJ chuckled softly before opening the door. She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Setting Garcia’s favorite brew next to her keyboard, JJ sat on the edge of Garcia’s desk.

“A present?” Garcia’s smile went wide as she popped the lid off, noticing the thick layer of foam and inhaling deeply. Then her eyes narrowed. “Or a bribe?”

“A bit of both?” JJ answered sheepishly.

Garcia took a sip, her eyes sliding closed melodramatically as she purred. “You are a goddess. Oh!” Her eyes snapped back open. “And nice outfit, by the way.” She wagged a finger, pointing at JJ’s pin-striped slacks, matching vest and white, silk buttoned down shirt underneath.

“Thanks.” JJ straightened the bottom vest. “Prentiss bought it. I think this outfit costs more than what I make in a week.”

Garcia grinned. “If I didn’t know any better, which I do, I’d say she’s trying to impress you.”

JJ didn’t have an answer for that, feeling the crimson coloring her cheeks at the idea of Emily trying to make an impression, of *needing* to make an impression. She lowered her head slightly, gazing up at Garcia. “Do you have a moment?”

“This is about Emily, isn’t it?” When JJ nodded, Garcia spun in her chair, pulling the empty chair beside her out and patting the seat. “Come. Talk to mama.”

Garcia was patient, sitting quietly as JJ sat down, fiddling with random items on Garcia’s desk. JJ had wanted to talk to someone since last night, but had no one to really talk to. Not about this. Her friends, her family, they all shared JJ’s beliefs. How could she explain the possible change in her feelings? “I think..” she finally spoke, setting her arm on the desk and placing the side of her face on her open palm. “We had our first fight last night.”

“You think? Fighting is kinda like the force, do or not,” she said in a horrible Yoda accent. “There is no think.”

“Yeah,” JJ chuckled softly before the weak smile faded. “And I probably said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“Emily’s smart. She knows you didn’t mean it.”

“That’s just it, Penelope, I did. I just..” she inhaled again, leaning up then slumping backwards. She brought a curled hand up to her mouth, rubbing the backs of her knuckles against her lips. “I don’t understand why, of all people to be with a vampire, the Council chose me.”

“Yeah, especially with your background.” And Garcia’s eyes widened as she snapped her mouth closed, realizing she’d used her ‘outside voice’.

JJ straightened in her seat, eyes narrowing as she stared heatedly. “Penelope..”

Garcia twisted in her seat, body jerking to face JJ. “I’m sorry. Honestly, Jayj. It’s just, after our conversation last night, I had to know.”

“So you hacked into my records,” JJ spoke softly, almost relieved. It had to happen eventually. Better now. Before they began to trust her. Before she began to like them.

Garcia reached out, gently placing her hand on JJ’s knee. “You have to tell her, JJ. If anyone would understand, it’s Emily.”

“How could she possibly understand?”

“Sixty-seven million vampires world-wide and only one that’s half-human? Think about it. Not all of them are gonna be so accepting,” Garcia paused, knowing she’d probably already said too much but unable to stop herself from talking. “They’ve tried to kill her. Multiple times. It’s why her mother moved them to Europe.”

“I.. I had no idea.”

“I know I sound like a Team Emily fangirl..” Garcia quieted, looking to her computer for guidance, as if the words she needed to say could be found in a search engine. Life was so much easier when all she had to deal with was code. People? People were harder. “Just.. talk to her. She‘s not the monster you think she is.”

**

“Sorry, Hotch,” Emily said, sliding into a seat at the conference table. “We didn’t get very far. Oh, I heard about every petty, bullshit grievance and could give you a power point presentation on who did what to whom, but all these murders have done is caused the clans to close rank. It’ll be another week before any of them give us access to the victim’s homes.”

He stepped towards the table, pressing his palms flat as he leaned forward. “No indication that this is clan related?”

“Oh, I’m sure they all have their fingers involved in something, but they’re all around the middle of the power scale. I didn’t get the sense that they were hiding anything when it came to this.” She pointed towards the whiteboard where everything related to the case had been pinned. So far, the board looked pretty empty, and nothing had been added since they arrive.

The door to the conference room opened, Rossi stepping aside, holding the door open for JJ as she walked in, arms overloaded with files. She lifted her eyes, stopping for a fraction of a second as her eyes connected with Emily’s. Another moment passed, where Emily sensed JJ’s heart skipping a beat, the slight flush coloring her cheeks.

“Please tell me you have something?” Hotch said.

“Not much,” Rossi said, Reid in tow, the two taking seats at the table. “But I can tell you the base ingredient for the spell. Succubus bones.”

“I thought succubi were extinct?”

“They are,” Reid interjected. “Have been for at least 500 years. But their bones are a key ingredient for several very potent spells. The selling of succubi bones was made illegal 150 years ago, with severe penalties, even for Riftlings. The sentence for even being in possession of succubi bones is 50 years.”

Rossi pulled a notebook from his pocket, flipping through the pages. “The stuff O’Reilly had was minute, probably just enough to complete the potion used on our victims..”

“You think the unsub ran out?”

“Two bodies in two days, then nothing for six weeks?” Rossi leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands in his jacket pockets. “I’m guessing the unsub went back to O’Reilly for more and when O’Reilly couldn’t produce, the unsub had no more reason for him.”

“That, at least, buys us some time. Garcia,” he spoke to the phone on the table.

“Already on it,” she replied, fingers clacking loudly on her keyboard.

Hotch turned his attentions to JJ. “What do you have?”

“I did like you asked.” She began picking up the folders and passing them around the table. “These are unsolved vampire murders within the last two years. Here’s the thing, they were all exsanguinated.”

Reid flipped open a folder, staring intently at the pictures. “Look at the necks.” He ran a finger down the text of the coroner’s report. “Says here, these are vampire bites.”

“Keep reading,” JJ prompted. “On the surface, they look like vampire bites but there’s no saliva in the wounds. No other bite marks around the neck. But everything else is similar. They were all tasered, restrained then tortured.”

“He changed tactics.” Hotch flipped a page of the coroner’s report.

“It makes sense,” Rossi spoke. “Bleeding a victim out takes time. Makes a mess. With this spell he’s created, the victim’s dead within 15 minutes. The blood turns to dust. No muss, no fuss.”

The phone on the table rang. Rossi reached, putting it on speaker. “Garcia, what have you got?”

“Oh, I got’s what you need. I ran background checks on all the victim’s Companions. Nothing unusual, then I started looking at financials. Here’s where things get weird. All our victim’s Companions have bank accounts. Don’t ask, I have no idea. But, get this? Those same Companions? All made monthly withdrawals of $3500 a month. Even weirder, their Sires would make checks to them of the same amount right before those deposits were made.”

“The Sires were making purchases through the Companions?” Morgan asked aloud. “What the Hell were they buying?”

“With three of them,” Garcia continued. “The trail goes cold. They made cash withdrawals. The fourth? She wrote monthly checks to a company called, and I warn you my pronunciation on this is going to suck, Acreidiug Inc. And, whoever these guys are, they’re good. I can find no trace of them whatsoever.”

“Wait?” Emily straightened in her seat. “Say that name again.. No, spell it.” Emily rose from her seat, grabbing a pen and walking towards the whiteboard. She wrote the letters as Garcia spelled them out. She stepped back, tilting her head, like she was figuring out a puzzle. Then, she began writing the word again, this time, backwards. “Subtle, guys,” she mumbled to herself, putting the cap back on. “Real subtle.”

“What is it?” Hotch asked.

“ _Guidiercá_ ,” Emily answered. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, her free hand gesticulating as she tried to come up with the right word. “There’s no proper human, English translation. It means.. To taste without bonds. It’s a code. The vampire equivalent of wife swapping. But, instead of wives, they’re swapping..”

“Companions,” JJ finished. Emily feeling JJ’s shudder as if it were her own.

“Isn’t that illegal?” Morgan looked like he’d just bit into something sour. “What’s the point of doing the Selection if the vamps are just gonna trade what they have?”

“It’s only illegal if you get caught,” was all Emily could manage to say. “In the eyes of vampires, Selection was for the benefit of the truce.”

“Where would they go for this?” Hotch asked.

“It’s like swinging,” Emily walked back to her chair, sitting down. “There’d be a host or hosts. Someone who’d choose the location. Who’s in, who’s out, et cetera.”

Morgan shifted in his seat. “That could also explain the down time between the murders. This could be the unsub‘s only contact with vampires.”

“Bad news, guys,” Garcia piped in. “I was just doing a search for black market dealers and I got a hit. A guy in LA..”

“That’s a three hour drive,” Morgan cut in.

“With the way you drive,” Emily chortled. “Hour and a half.”

“Yeah,” Garcia continued. “Bad news is, his body was found in a dumpster four hours ago. Bludgeoned to death.”

“Anything to indicate our unsub was involved?”

“Only that the guy was under suspicion for dealing in succubi bones?”

Hotch growled under her his breath, jaw clenching as he flicked his eyes towards the window, watching the sun dip behind the horizon. “We need to find out when the next Guidiercá takes place. It’s our only lead.” He turned his gaze towards Emily. “Prentiss.”

“I have contacts, but none in the state. It’ll take time.” He lowered his head slightly, eyes narrowing the tiniest fraction. Emily squirmed in her seat. “Hotch. Come on.”

“Do you think your contacts can get the information before the next body turns up?”

This time, it was Emily who growled low in her throat. It was a low blow, even for Hotch, taking a stiletto and stepping hard on her Achilles Heel. “Fine,” Emily grumbled, pushing her chair from the table before rising, reaching into her pocket for her phone. “This is Special Agent Emily Prentiss,” she said into the device before walking out the door. “I need to speak to the Duke.”

**

“It’s happening tonight.” Emily returned 45 minutes later, quickly retaking her seat. Hands under the table so no one could see her curling her hands into frustrated fists, nails digging into the flesh of her palms.

“Can we get access?”

“No.” Emily closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. “Just me, and me only. Along with my Companion, Morgan.”

“Aw,” he smiled, trying to cheer up his partner. “I’m touched.”

“No,” Hotch interjected. “We need to send in JJ.”

Emily’s eyes snapped open. She whipped her hands out, slapping them palms down on the table. “Absolutely not!” she growled.

“Prentiss,” Hotch kept his voice low, stern, the slightest of muscles twitching on his face. The air in the room thickened, charging with electricity. No one budged, knowing better than to get between a werewolf and a vampire. “Morgan won’t work and you know it.”

“It’s fine, Hotch,” Morgan turned in his seat, only to be cut down by Hotch’s angry glare.

“Prentiss walks in with you on her arm and they’ll know you’re cops,” Hotch said, darting his eyes between the two partners.

“Morgan,” Emily snapped at her boss. “Has been around vamps before. He knows how to handle himself. I don’t have to worry about him and me.”

“HEY!” JJ shouted, waiting until the arguing team members turned their attentions towards her. “I’m *right* here! I’m qualified. And *I*..” she turned her eyes towards Emily. “Can decide for myself.”

“JJ..” Hotch said with a much lowered voice.

Before he could finish, Emily jerked out of her seat, knocking the chair over. She closed her eyes, clenching her fists. This was more than about Emily’s opinion on going undercover with a rookie agent, and Hotch knew it. And still he pushed. She inhaled a deep, cleansing breath, slowly opening her eyes. “Sir,” she said, voice dripping with disdain because, right now, she really hated the man. “I’d like to speak to Agent Jareau. Alone.”

She didn’t wait for Hotch to answer, just stormed out of the room, grabbing the door and jerking it open. The door ricocheted off the wall, slamming closed.

JJ didn’t wait for Hotch’s permission, rising from her own seat and quickly following Emily.

Emily stormed into the women’s bathroom, where two uniformed officers were quietly chatting at the sink. “Get out!” she growled, and when the officers scoffed back, Emily growled again, baring her fangs. “NOW!”

Both women paled, shrinking from Emily as they quickly scurried towards the door, leaving just as JJ entered the room.

“Listen Emily..”

Emily whipped around. In a flash, she was across the room, in JJ’s personal space. “Do you wanna fuck me?”

JJ’s eyes went wide, as much as she wanted to stand her ground, she couldn’t help taking a step back from Emily’s ferocity. “What?” she swallowed.

“Simple question,” Emily sneered. “Do you want to fuck me? Because that‘s what‘s going to happen if you go with me. This isn’t like vice, or some other undercover operation where the cavalry comes in at the last minute to save the day.”

JJ grit her teeth, lifting her chin in defiance. “I’m not afraid.”

“Really?” Emily smirked. “You’re not afraid of me, a vampire, touching you? Because that’s what I’m going to do, Jennifer. I’m going to touch you. And I won’t be soft or gentle.” Emily stepped in closer, eyes darkening as her pupils widened. “You won’t just act like you like, you’ll have to love it.”

“You think I can’t handle this? What?” JJ scoffed. “And Morgan can?”

“We’ve done it before. And at least with Morgan, when I touch him he won’t look at me like something he scraped off his shoe.”

For the first time since this whole argument started, JJ blinked, softening just a little under Emily’s heated gaze as the realization dawned on her. “You want me to trust you?” she finally said, a little of her anger returning as she took a half step towards Emily. “That street goes both ways. At some point, you’re going to have to start trusting me, Emily.” With that, JJ turned on her heel. She jerked open the door, stopping in the entrance to look back at Emily. “Oh, and I’m going!” she said before slamming the door behind her.

Emily growled, loudly, spinning on her heel and taking a haphazard swing at the air. She slammed her fist down on her thigh.

**

“Who is it?” JJ called out to the knock at her hotel room door.

“Garcia.”

JJ set down her makeup kit, exiting the bathroom to let Garcia in.

“Wow!” Garcia blinked incredulously as she took in JJ’s dress. The perfect little black dress, except in a blue a shade darker than JJ’s eyes, the loose shoulder straps cut elegantly low, just below JJ’s breasts, the back even lower. It showed every line and curve of JJ’s body, but wasn’t too tight as to reveal everything.

“Yeah,” JJ blushing, tucking a lock of hair nervously behind her ear. “Emily bought it. I think it costs more than I make in a week.”

“Companion couture,” Garcia grinned. She sighed at JJ’s less than mirthful reaction to her attempt at humor, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You don’t have anything to prove.”

“We both know that’s not true,” JJ feigned a weak smile. She drifted her hand upwards, fingers clasping the tiny charm hanging from her necklace. “This isn’t just about Emily. I really want this job, Penelope. If I don’t do this now, there’ll always be that question in the back of everyone’s mind.”

“Despite Emily going all..” Garcia pantomimed, baring her teeth and raising her hands and forming claws. “‘Grr-argh’ on you. She’ll have your back.”

“I know. And I’ll have hers,” JJ said, shaking her head at the words pouring from her mouth. So much had change in such a very short span of time. “You don’t have to worry.”

Garcia chuckled. “Sorry, sweet cheeks, no can do.”

There was a knock at the door, both women turning their heads towards the sound.

“JJ,” Emily spoke on the other side. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” JJ called out to her.

Emily slid her keycard into the lock, entering the room. Her outfit both complimented and contrasted with JJ’s, black slacks, a long-sleeved halter that tied in the front, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, her eyes painted Kohl black. Emily’s step slowed as she saw Garcia sitting on the bed, the younger woman rising to make a hasty retreat. Garcia slowed as she passed Emily, placing her hand on Emily’s forearm and whispering in Emily’s ear. “Take care of our girl, okay.”

Emily nodded her head slightly, watching Garcia leave before she turned her attentions to JJ. “You look, um,” she shifted on the balls of her feet. “Beautiful.”

“Thanks.” JJ blushed despite her best attempts. She smoothed the lines on her hips with her hands. “It’s not exactly my style but I could learn to like it.”

“You’ll..” Emily paused. She swallowed hard then lowered her head. When she raised it again, her face was blank, cold. “You’ll need to remove your panties.”

“Oh.” JJ’s eyes widened. “Okay.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Emily said quickly. “You can still back out.”

JJ hardened. “I’m not backing out. I just wasn’t expecting you to be so.. Blunt,” she said, right before she slid her hands under her dress, thumbs hooking into the waistband of her panties.

“I..” Emily lowered her head, turning away. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”

“No,” JJ called to her as she bent down, sliding her panties down her legs, stepping out of them. She rose to her full height, walking towards Emily. “There’s one more thing.” JJ didn’t stop until she and Emily were practically toe to toe. “I’m doing this. I’m prepared to do this, to let you do what you have to. But, on one condition,” JJ said, eyes turning cold. “You can touch me, fuck me, use me, but you don’t kiss me. That’s all I ask.”

Emily swallowed down the darkness inside her that had been looking forward to doing exactly that, hating herself for wanting something that would never truly be hers. “Understood,” she nodded then turned her shoulders perpendicular to JJ, extending her arm towards the door. “Shall we?”


	4. Chapter 4

The limo rolled to a stop less than two blocks from their hotel. It rolled to a stop in the circular drive of another hotel. The privacy screen between the cab lowered, Morgan, dressed in a chauffeur outfit, placed his arm on the sill, turning towards them.

“You guys ready?” he asked.

JJ nodded. Emily tensed. “Wait.”

“What is it?” JJ asked, the question written all over Morgan’s face.

Emily turned in her seat to face JJ. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Emily,” JJ sighed. “What more do you want me to do?”

Emily’s face went serious. “Drink from me.”

“What?”

“Prentiss,” Morgan groaned.

“We haven’t blood-bonded,” she said to him before returning her gaze to JJ. “We’re stepping into a shark pit. My scent on you won’t be enough. Like what happened at the Duke’s, anyone gets too close and they’ll be able to tell. But not with my blood in you.”

JJ brought a nervous hand to her forehead. She’d been willing to sacrifice so much to prove herself. It never occurred to her that she’d have to do *this*. But, this wasn’t just about her or Emily anymore, it was about a killer. A killer that was her job to stop. “Okay,” she said in a blurted rush.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” JJ shook her head, dread churning her stomach. “Just.. do it.”

Emily pulled back her sleeve before she brought the inside of her forearm to her lips, extended her fangs and quickly bit into the soft flesh. Just as quickly, she removed her mouth then brought her arm close to JJ’s face.

Pale skin with two seeping red dots filled JJ’s vision. She placed her fingers on Emily’s arm, holding gently. She brought her eyes up to Emily’s then smiled weakly. “Just like doing shots back in college, right?”

Quickly, before she could change her mind, JJ open-mouth clamped onto Emily’s are and sucked. As the thick liquid filled mouth, she fought the urge to gag, sucking harder before she swallowed. She expected to hate this. Always thought a vampire’s blood would be bitter and acrid. She didn’t expect for it to taste - good. Coppery and sweet. JJ didn’t expect her head to spin, her body to warm, the deep, throbbing pulse between her legs.

Mouth going slack, Emily gasped. It’d been a long time since she’d done this. There were very few things more arousing to a vampire than sharing blood. And Emily had forgotten how *good* it could feel. JJ drew again and it was like a sucker punch right between Emily’s legs. She bit the inside of her cheek, using the pain to keep her composure.

“JJ,” she said, as the blonde moaned, eyes rolling into the back of her head as her eyes lazily slid closed. “JJ! That’s enough.”

At the sound of her name, JJ pushed herself away, gasping for air. She closed to eyes, leaning over and pressing her forehead to the headrest as she took several long, calming breaths.

Emily brought her arm to her mouth, licking the wound and forcing it to heal faster before she, too, leaned against the seat to catch her breath.

Morgan, who’d quietly watched the entire display, finally spoke. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah,” JJ nodded. “That was.. unexpected.” She cracked open an eye, peering at Emily. “Is it always like that?”

“No.” For the second time, Emily lied to JJ. When this was all over, Emily would send her rejection to the Council. No point in tempting herself.

“You guys ready?” Morgan asked, not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary. “Anything happens, you don’t hesitate to call.”

“We won’t,” Emily groaned in her best ‘yes, Dad‘ voice.

“Prentiss,” Morgan practically barked. “I’m serious.”

She rolled her eyes. “So am I. Just.. get the door.”

He left the screen down as he exited the car, playing his role as he walked around to the passengers side and opening the door. “I don’t know why I’m the driver,” he grumbled as Emily, then JJ got out of the car.

“It’s because you look so cute in that uniform,” Emily teased, trying to break some of the tension between them.

“Prentiss,” Morgan leaned close. “Be careful.”

“You got my back?”

“Always.”

“Then what are you worrying for?” she grinned before walking away.

JJ turned her head back, giving Morgan a slight nod. Trying to tell him in her own way not to worry, that Emily would be just as safe with her as if she were with him.

They entered a set of elevators just outside the lobby, Emily pressing the button for the 50th floor.

Seven days a week, 365 days a year, the club was open to the public. Well, open to those who could afford the heavy cover charge or genetically blessed enough to pass the ‘red velvet rope’ test. Tonight, it was closed to the public for a very private, very exclusive party.

The sound of music thrummed through them as the elevator doors opened and they were greeted by two very large, very serious looking men working security. They stepped aside just enough for Emily and JJ to approach the doorman.

“Emily Whitman.”

The doorman didn’t even look down at the guest list, merely paling at the alias Emily had given him. The alias the Duke had used to gain her entrance.

“Please,” he said, bowing his head and pressing the button to open the doors to the club.

JJ clasped her hands before her, bowing her head, waiting for Emily to walk first, only to feel Emily’s hand on the small of her back, guiding her as they walked.

“Raise your head,” Emily whispered into JJ’s ear. “Make eye contact with those around you. This is about me putting you on display, showing what I have for a potential exchange. I’m allowing you to be flirtatious.”

The space was packed. The dance floor already filled. It covered a large section of the floor space. There was a floor above it, a walkway that circled the floor, where the railing was filled with people gazing down, watching the ones below. The fourth side was a giant window, giving an impressive view of the city and led to the outside bar.

JJ did as instructed, keeping her head up, looking around. Playing her role. Flirting. Which wasn’t hard. Emily’s blood in her, JJ felt light-headed to the point of giddy. There was the warmth in her body, slithering around her insides, pulsing between her legs and it all seemed to be caused by Emily. The soft, warm hand on the small of JJ’s back, thumb tracing gentle circles. It wasn’t hard to separate Companion from Sire. While JJ was used to being eyed, she was unaccustomed to being gazed upon with such open wantonness. The Companions, they were different. While their eyes were open, there was a blankness to them. And the heat in JJ’s body seemed to cool as she wondered if she would have that blankness in her eyes.

Emily led them to the outer deck, walking towards the bar. She leaned into JJ, taking the hand off JJ’s back to brush the hair off JJ’s neck, the backs of her knuckles grazing across her skin. The feel of Emily’s skin gliding across her own like static electricity.

“You okay?” Emily whispered.

JJ swallowed, nodding slightly. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You’re doing great,” she said before turning her attentions towards the bartender and ordering for the both of them. Despite the crowd around the bar, he mixed their drinks immediately, word having traveled quickly as to who’s guest Emily was.

“Well, well, well,” a male voice taunted seductively, a hand snaking between the two women and grabbing Emily’s martini. “If it isn’t my favorite half-breed.”

Emily turned slowly, eyes darkening as she let a low growl escape her throat.

The Duke’s nephew took a long sip from Emily’s drink, smiling at her through his dark bangs over the lip of Emily’s, how his, glass.

“What do you want?” Emily kept her voice neutral.

“Don’t worry, I come in peace.” He raised a hand defensively. “Uncle’s orders. Something about keeping an eye on you. Anyway,” he took another drink, downing the glass then setting it back on the counter and waving the bartender for another. “You can call me Nicholas.”

“Nicholas,” Emily sneered. “What do you want?”

Within seconds, another glass was placed before Nicholas. “Send a bottle to my booth,” he said to the bartender before turning and walking away. “Follow me.”

Emily growled beneath her breath, rolling her eyes before stepping away from the bar, placing an gentle hand on the small of JJ’s back and following Nicholas back into the club.

He lead them towards a set of stairs with a velvet rope and a security guard, who instantly pulled back the rope and allowed the three of them entry. As they made their way to the second floor, both agents noted the booths tucked away behind the walkway. Dimly lit rooms with glass doors, some filled, some empty, some obscured by diffused glass.

Nicholas entered one of the rooms. Painted in subdued colors of a red, furnished with a single large semi-circular couch that faced the glass. An oval coffee table with a glass surface sat in the middle.

Nicholas flopped down on end, draping one of his long arms over the back, crossing his legs. “My uncle has taken an interest in you, Emily Prentiss,” he said as Emily sat down, making sure to place herself between Nicholas and JJ. “I don‘t know whether to be impressed.. or afraid on your behalf.”

“Your concern is touching. But unwarranted,” Emily said, leaning back and draping her arm over the part of the couch where JJ’s shoulders rested. “I can take care of myself.”

“You’d have to, living so dangerously,” he smiled oily, his eyes turning black as he turned his gaze towards JJ. “Bringing a pure human to a _Guidiercá_. But, she’s not so pure anymore, is she?” He inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring, eyes sliding lazily closed. When he opened his eyes again, they were entirely black. “She’s had a taste now, hasn’t she? Her cunt’s practically dripping.”

Pupils widening, fangs extending, Emily leaned forward. “Cut the crap, Nicholas.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, eyes returning to normal. “So protective. No wonder she finds you so clit-clenching hot.”

With a low but feral growl, Emily launched herself over the small space between them. In one smooth and fluid motion, she slapped the drink from his hand, the glass spiraling across the small room, shattering against the wall. Her left hand gripped a fistful of shirt, forearm jamming at the base of his throat. With her right, she whipped it back, fist curling, holding it in position.

“ _That’s enough!_ “ she snarled, lips curled back, exposing her fangs.

Through all this, Nicholas didn’t flinch, didn’t move. As Emily’s eyes bore down on him, he gazed playfully back, lips curling into a smirk. “ _There she is. The vampire_ ,” he chuckled, showing his cards. “ _It’d be so much easier to pretend you are human.. if you didn’t love being a vampire so much. Wouldn‘t it?_ ”

Disgusted, at Nicholas for his games, at herself for falling for it, Emily pushed herself away. She rose to her full height, standing before him, arms folded over her chest. She calmed herself, but let her fangs remained extended.

“Great,” Nicholas glanced over at the wall, where his drink was nothing more than a streak on the paint, shattered glass on the floor. “Now I have to get another one.” Ignoring Emily, he leaned forward, pressing a button on a small panel just underneath the surface of the table. He leaned back, resuming his original pose, stretching both arms across the back of the couch. “This is a ‘show me, show you’ room for those who can afford the service. The buttons on the panel,” he pointed with his head, “the black is for the glass, for if you do or don’t want to be seen. The gray is for beverage service..”

“The green and the red?” Emily asked, looking down at the panel.

Nicholas’s grin broadened. “Look at the other room,” he pointed with a lazy finger.

Emily turned, taking a step towards the front of the room. Nicholas had turned the privacy on in their room, turning the glass door into a two-way mirror, one where they could see out but no one could see in. There was a small crowd outside their room, all standing at the railing and looking down below. Emily looked past them, towards the other rooms. That’s when she finally noticed the tiny lights in the top right corner, imperceptible to the human eye, but not to Emily. Most were turned to red, some were green. “They’re a signal,” Emily said aloud. “That the Sire’s are interested in sharing.”

“And she’s smart,” Nicholas teased. “No wonder my uncle’s interested.”

“The staff..” Forgetting where she was, JJ spoke. Only to watch as Nicholas’s head snapped towards hers, eyes ablaze with offense. Immediately, she closed her mouth, bowing her head.

Emily turned back around. “What about the staff?”

JJ swallowed, not sure how to feel being given permission to speak. She raised her head, focusing her gaze solely on Emily. “They’re all human but they’re not Companions.”

“Yes,” Nicholas drawled, not wanting to admit to being impressed with JJ’s observation. “It’s part of the service, you see. To remind us of the time when we ruled and your kind were nothing more to us than cattle. Fang-bangers, mostly. Gagging for the opportunity to become one of us. Pathetic, really. As if they could. As if we‘d want them. Then,” he slowly turned his eyes towards Emily, his first real display of anger. “There’s you. Miss one in a sixty-seven million you.”

Emily returned his gaze, the tension in the room rising once again as Nicholas displayed his contempt and Emily showed how little his opinion mattered to her.

Nicholas intentionally blinked, breaking the sudden tension. He slid his arms forward, slapping his hands on his thighs. “Where’s that fucking drink?” he said aloud before rising from the couch. “Fucking humans. Can’t do anything right. I‘ll be back,” he said, stopping in the entrance. “And you two? Do everything I would do.”

The door closed and both woman exhaled like they’d been holding their breaths.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked, retracting her fangs, relaxed enough to finally sit back down on the couch.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” JJ smiled weakly. “When it looked like you two were about to throw down, I was trying to find something to bludgeon him with.”

“Thanks,” Emily smiled, chuckling at the idea of JJ coming to her rescue. “I doubt Nicholas intended to let it get that far.”

“And you?” JJ lowered her voice, barely above a whisper. “How far would you have gone?”

Elbows on her knees, Emily looked down to gaze at her hands. “I would have killed him before he laid a finger on you.”

JJ knew, had it been any other team member sitting where JJ was – Reid, Morgan, Hotch, Rossi, Emily’s words would have been the same. JJ also knew, still not quite sure how, that while the words would have been the same, but the intent behind them was completely different. It all made JJ’s head spin, uncertain what to think, what to feel. Confused, wondering if what she thought and felt were her own feelings or a reaction to Emily’s blood running through her veins.

A knock interrupted what little conversation the women had managed to start. Both looked up to see a waitress at the door, holding a tray carrying a bottle of champagne, wearing an outfit that could only be described as the hint of a dress.

JJ rose from the couch, crossing the tiny space to open the door. The waitress entered, setting a bucket off ice holding a bottle of champagne and three glasses onto the table. The waitress stood, pausing long enough to place a gentle hand on Emily’s shoulder. “If there’s anything else you need,” she said, her words weighted with enough innuendo to crush a car. “Don’t hesitate to call. And, please, ask for Roseanne.”

JJ mouthed the word ‘wow’ as the woman exited, taking a seat next to Emily as the woman pulled out the very expensive looking bottle of champagne and popped the cork.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” JJ asked.

“No,” Emily pursed her lips, filling a glass and handing it to JJ before working on her own. It was just a game, and Emily fell for it. Nicholas touched that nerve ending so close to the surface, and it still ached. Her insides still trembled. The urge, her darkness, still churned and roiled within her, screaming for blood. And JJ sat right next to her, smelling like skin and soap and sweat, the tiniest hint of arousal. And Emily knew if she stayed sitting there next to JJ - with JJ looking like that, smelling like that, her pulse throbbing beneath the honey-colored skin of her neck - Emily would wind up doing something she’d only regret.

So, she went with the only option she had left, setting down her glass and drinking the champagne straight from the bottle.


	5. Chapter 5

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, JJ nursing her glass, Emily having calmed down enough to stop drinking straight from the bottle to pour her own glass.

JJ leaned back against the couch, crossing her legs. She brought the glass to her lips, chuckling as she took another sip.

Emily smirked at the woman’s sudden levity, turning her head and side-eyeing her. “What?”

“Clit-clenchingly hot?” JJ grinned, chuckling to herself.

Gently shaking her head, Emily smiled despite herself. “Nicholas certainly has a way with words,” she said, taking another sip of her champagne.

“Remind me to write that down so I don’t forget to tell Garcia.”

“Oh God, please don‘t,” Emily groaned. “I’ll never hear the end of it. The last thing I need is Garcia addressing me on the phone in a room full of cops as her ‘Mistress of clit-clenching hotness’.”

The lightness seemed to relax both of them, unwinding some of the tension between them. JJ leaned back a little more, turning her shoulders and placing her elbow onto the headrest. The position allowing her to look, to examine Emily for the first time.

Though she could feel JJ’s eyes on her, Emily didn’t return her gaze. She knew JJ needed this, to be close to Emily without that pressure on either of their shoulders.

“Can I ask you a question?” JJ asked after several long minutes of silence.

“Sure,” Emily shrugged, taking another sip.

“Are you single?”

Brows knitting together, Emily swallowed hard, wondering where that question came from. “Though I wish it were otherwise, hell, my mother wishes it were otherwise,” she sighed solemnly, leaning forward to set her empty glass on the table. “Yes. I’m single. My last relationship ended phenomenally badly. I decided to take a break from the whole dating scene, since I‘m so obviously bad at it. That was..” she paused, eyebrows going up as she counted the time in her head. “Three years ago.”

“Did you love him?”

“Her,” Emily corrected before sighing solemnly, resting her elbows on her knees, running a hand over her head. “Iona Doyle. Until I met her, I didn’t think I was capable of love. I didn‘t have the warmest of upbringings. My mother‘s husband, he died before I was born thinking I was his. My biological father,” she exhaled hard through her nose. “He died never knowing that I was his.”

“I’m sorry, for bringing this all up.”

“It’s okay,” Emily smiled weakly. “When you ask me the hard questions, I’ll let you know.”

JJ pulled her elbow off the couch, leaning forward, mimicking Emily’s pose, elbows on her knees, hands clasped around the stem of her glass. Emily hadn’t said anything about her parentage that JJ didn’t already know, but hearing from Emily, it seemed to explain so much. From that moment on, JJ knew, she would always hate *them* but she could never hate Emily.

“Do you think he’s here?” JJ asked. Seeing the confusion on Emily’s face, JJ quickly added, “The unsub?”

“Oh!” Emily lifted her eyebrows, eyes darting at the club outside, going into work-mode as the private intimate moment between them melted away. “Yeah, I do. I don‘t know how to explain it but there‘s a weird energy out there. I think it‘s the spell.”

“How do we find him? How’s he choosing his victims.”

Emily stood, her eyes still focused on the space beyond their private room. “I think I have an idea.” She turned her face towards JJ, pupils widening, the tiniest hint of her fangs showing between barely parted lips. She extended her hand, palm up, towards JJ. “Are you ready?”

Quickly picking up her glass, JJ gulped the last of her champagne knowing she was going to need it before rising and taking Emily’s hand.

**

The crowd outside their room had thinned, either joining the people on the dance floor, or adjourning to their own private rooms, by reservation or invitation. Emily lead JJ to the railing overlooking the dance floor. The floor was packed, vampires, their Companions, the human hanger-on’s. The lights above the walkway were dim, stage lighting hanging feet from the railing and pointing downward, where the privileged few could watch, and not be seen by those down below.

After several moments of nothing but standing and watching, Emily shifted, moving until she stood behind JJ. JJ took a sudden and nervous quick intake of breath at the feel of Emily’s hands on the swell of her hips, her pulse going wild. Emily leaned into her, nuzzling her nose at the base of JJ’s ear.

“Anytime you want me to stop,” Emily whispered. “Just say the word and I will. Okay?”

JJ swallowed, quickly nodding her head. Emily pressed them together a little closer, breasts to JJ’s back, crotch against her ass. Slowly, she began to sway, the intimation of a dance that had nothing to do with the music throbbing all around them.

Emily knew they were watching, those that could see them. That was the point. To draw attention. But she couldn’t help but let her mind drift, to give in just a little bit to this moment, JJ’s body so close to hers, her warmth, her scent, the trembles in her ribs as her breath went ragged, the beat of her heart. She let a hand roam, drifting upwards and over the smooth plain of JJ’s stomach, feeling the muscles twitching beneath her touch. She rose her hand higher, cupping JJ’s breast. The felt JJ’s gasp as she traced her over the nipple straining the thin barrier of blue silk.

This was a ruse. JJ was doing nothing more than playing a role. A role where she liked the feel Emily’s body against her own, the sensuous teasing of her hands against JJ’s skin. When that was no longer an adequate excuse, JJ could blame the blood running through her veins, Emily’s blood. Since that moment in the car, it’d felt like all her senses had increased, pooling between her legs into a dull, throbbing need. Everywhere Emily touched her, everywhere there was contact, it was like wet electricity surging into JJ’s body.

Emily slipped her hand beneath the swath of fabric covering JJ’s breast, feeling the woman gasp, gently jutting her hips backwards, grinding against Emily’s crotch. Emily groaned lowly, mouth going slack as her fangs quickly and painfully extended to their fullest. She ran her nose along the line of JJ’s pulse point, inhaling deeply, inhaling JJ’s scent, smelling her arousal, that unmistakable musk that was distinctly JJ’s.

Emily knew she should stop, that this was as far as she needed to go. Instead, she let her other hand roam. Sliding it down JJ’s thigh, she began a walking motion with her fingers, pulling up the hem until it bunched. Hand on JJ’s thigh, Emily slid her fingers inwards, tracing the crease, until her fingertips met soft curls over feverishly warm flesh. And Emily moved her fingers lower, sliding, parting swollen lips. “Fuck,” Emily growled. “You’re so wet.”

JJ’s hips twitched involuntarily, pressing her clit onto Emily’s fingers. As her mouth went slack, brows crinkling. The hand holding the railing turned into a death grip as her knees went wobbly. With her other hand, JJ reached back, threading her fingers into Emily’s hair, feeling Emily’s breath, hot and wet and heavy, on her neck.

As much as JJ wanted to close her eyes, to just give everything to this moment, she didn’t. That little part of her, hidden in the back of her brain, conscious of the fact that she was working. So, she looked down below, at all those people just.. oblivious to she and Emily. She blankly scanned the faces, as her hips did a slow roll in time with the rocking of Emily’s fingers, the tension building between her legs, extending outwards. As she scanned the faces.

Scanned the faces.

Something within JJ snapped. She sucked in a hard breath of air. Her chest seized, heart stopping momentarily before it charged within her chest. Except, Emily didn’t notice. She still kept stroking JJ, still kept swaying her hips, squeezing JJ’s breast. And it all felt as wrong as JJ always imagined it would be.

“Emily,” she managed to find her voice, curling the fingers threaded into Emily’s hair. “Stop!”

Only Emily didn’t stop. Didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t hear. So JJ jerked her hips, grabbed Emily by the wrist and yanked before she twisted around. “EMILY!”

Emily blinked, fangs instantly retracting as she saw the mortified expression on JJ’s face. Her stomach twisted, dread rising like bile at the thought that she’d gone to far. “JJ?”

“I..” Already, JJ’s eyes were filling with tears. Trembling fingers pressed to her lips, she tried to make the words come but her throat had seized on her.

“Come on,” Emily stepped backwards, her hands circled around JJ protectively but too afraid to actually touch the woman as she lead them both back into their room.

Her entire body trembling, JJ paced wildly. “No, no, no,” she murmured repeatedly, her free hand tightly clasping the charm hanging from her necklace.

“JJ..” Arms outstretched, hands raised defensively, Emily approached as if she were cornering a wounded animal. “Jennifer,” she said a little louder, sterner. JJ finally lifting wide and wounded eyes at her. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s here,” she gasped, like she still couldn’t quite believe it. “He’s here.”

“Who’s here?” Emily asked. JJ swallowed a sob, pushing her eyes towards the ceiling before spinning on her heel, turning her back to Emily. Cautiously, she took a step closer, gently placing her hands on JJ’s shoulders, willing the woman to turn around. JJ’s face crumbled, like her entire world had just shattered. “JJ, who’s here?”

Instantly, JJ’s face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. “The monster that killed my sister!” she screamed before the fight just drained out of her, collapsing her face onto Emily’s shoulder. “He’s here, Emily,” she whispered between choking sobs. “That son of a bitch is here.”

“Okay,” Emily whispered back, drawing her arms around JJ’s shoulders and holding her tight, as the pieces all fell into place. It all made sense now, and Emily wouldn’t blame JJ if she hated Emily for the rest of either of their lives. “JJ,” she whispered, leading the younger woman to the couch and helping her sit down. “I’m so sorry.”

They sat in silence, Emily gently rocking JJ in her arms. Eventually, the tears slowed to quiet sobs. When Emily felt comfortable enough, she eased them apart. “Jennifer,” she spoke softly, hand cradling the side of JJ’s head as her thumb gently caressed her cheek. “I’m gonna go downstairs and call Morgan, so we can go back to the hotel.”

The words cut through JJ’s haze, her head snapping up as her eyes widened. “Oh God, no. We can’t. The case..”

“Hey,” she watched her fingers as they dared to brush the hair from JJ‘s forehead, tucking it behind an ear. “Don’t ever think there’ll be a case that’s more important to me than you.”

JJ closed her eyes, leaning into Emily’s touch, hating herself more than she had in a very long time. “I’m sorry, Emily.”

“Don’t be.” Emily patted JJ’s leg before rising and exiting the room.

“Fuck!” JJ grumbled, placing both hands over her face, taking slow, cleansing breaths and feeling helpless and childish with each inhale. She’d lost it. While on the job. Within seconds, she’d gone from one extreme to the other. It felt like her entire soul had been ripped in two. And somewhere out there, beyond the glass, was a killer. Two killers.

And Emily.

JJ lifted her head just as the door to the room opened, a young man standing in the entrance. Head bowed, he held an empty tray in his hand. A waiter. JJ looked past him as he entered. He kneeled down next to the table, picking up the empty bottle and placing it on his tray.

“Are you okay?”

So busy concentrating on the still open door, it took JJ a moment to realize she was being spoken to. “Yes,” she smiled politely, realizing she probably looked like a hot mess after her near meltdown. “I’m fine, thank you.”

He didn’t budge. Head still bowed, her lifted his eyes to her, staring from beneath his bangs. The moment JJ realized he was staring and moved her face towards his, he lowered his eyes, quickly rising to his feet.

She half paid attention to him, her eyes already on the space outside the room as he began to exit, mumbling something under his breath before closing the door behind him.

“C’mon, Emily,” JJ said aloud. “Where are you?”

**

“Morgan,” Emily said into her cell. She stood in the hallway by the coat check, where it was much quieter, even less crowded. “Bring the car around. We’re coming down.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I’ll tell you later.” She closed the device, quickly turning on her heel then stopped her motion completely at the young man standing behind her.

“Sire,” he said sheepishly. He stood with his hands clasped before him, head bowed. “There’s a problem with your Companion.”

“JJ?” Emily paled, already moving back towards the entrance to the club, not looking forward to pushing her way through the crowd. “What happened.”

“Wait!” he called after her. When she turned, he extended an arm, pointing towards a separate door. “The servant’s entrance. It’ll be much quicker.”

Emily didn’t wait, storming past the young man and towards the nondescript, plain gray door. She never saw him reach towards the small of his back..

Or the taser he had hidden beneath his belt.

**

“Nicholas!” JJ practically shouted as the Duke’s nephew entered the private room. “Where’s Emily?”

“She’s not with you?” he drawled.

“No.” She pushed her way past him. “She’s not.”

JJ took the stairs two at a time, only to be met with the crush of people on the lower level. She pushed, shoved her way through the crowd, a sense of panic washing over her. As she reached the edge of the dance floor, she could see Morgan at the entrance, standing behind a velvet rope.

Then, all JJ saw was white as a searing, white hot pain seized her body. Her legs buckled, the force dropping her to her knees. She felt strong arms cradling her protectively. When her vision cleared, JJ saw Morgan staring down at her.

“Emily!” she said in panicked voice, already pushing at him to help her to her feet. “The unsub has Emily.”

Grabbing his arm, JJ yanked on him, pulling him back towards the entrance. She practically shoved the couple standing before the coat check out of her way. “There was a woman here,” she said hurriedly. “Black hair, brown eyes, where’d she go?”

He looked back at her, annoyed, like she were just another frantic Companion desperately searching for her Sire.

“Hey!” Morgan yelled, flashing his badge. “Answer the woman!”

His eyes went wide, the couple standing next to JJ suddenly deciding making a beeline towards the door was their best option. “She left with LaRue,” he swallowed nervously.

“Where?” Morgan barked.

He pointed with his head. “Through there.”

Unbuttoning his coat, Morgan placed his hand on the butt of his gun. Pushing open the door, he turned his head to see JJ right behind him. “Where are you going?” he said in a ‘you’re not going anywhere’ tone. “Stay here.”

“Don’t you dare stop me!” Her eyes flashed hot, warning him there was no alternative.

“Dammit!” he muttered under his breath. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out the smaller caliber handgun he had tucked away, handing it to her. “Stay behind me.”

She took his gun, checked the safety then pulled the chamber, loading the first bullet. She nodded.

Morgan turned, quickly entered the hallway. The underbelly of the club, where all the real work took place. They passed a storage room, lockers for the staff. Approaching the kitchen, a man dressed in whites stepped out of the door.

“LaRue!” Morgan barked, the man jumping out of his skin as Morgan flashed his badge. “Where’d he go?”

Hands raised, the man pointed with his thumb. “Out the back. Said he needed to take a breather. Volunteered to take out the trash. I wasn’t going to argue.”

“Which way?”

“Service elevator. Through the kitch..”

Both Morgan and JJ were off before he finished his sentence. “Hotch,” Morgan spoke quickly into his two-way, spouting off the relevant information as he and JJ barreled through the kitchen, surprised staff workers scurrying out of the way. “Service garage. The unsub has Emily.” 

At the elevators, they both let out a small sigh of relief as Morgan pressed the button and the doors immediately opened.

JJ kicked off her shoes, rechecking the magazine as the elevator slowly moved down to the first floor.

Morgan eyed her. “What happened?”

“We were separated.”

“Why?”

“I..” JJ’s voice trailed. Breaking the eye contact, JJ turned her eyes to the gun in her hand. Before she could think of an answer resembling the truth, the elevator slowed to a stop, both agents raising their weapons as the doors opened.

And Aaron Hotchner stood on the other side.

The service elevator lead directly to a loading dock. The small parking area empty, Reid and Rossi, weapons in hand, stood next to a large, rectangular and empty garbage bin.

Hotch turned back towards the two agents as they stepped out of the elevator.

“She’s gone.”

**

“His name is Peter LaRue..”

Pulling back her hair to place it into a ponytail, JJ half paid attention to Hotch as he addressed the veritable army of officers, federal and local, now gathered outside the entrance to the hotel. She’d changed out of her expensive dress, in the only clothes available to her, Emily’s, a pair of jeans, a long sleeved white knit shirt and boots, a flak jacket with FBI stenciled on the front.

Reid, Morgan and Rossi were gathered around the front of an SUV, a map of the area laid out on the hood.

“Garcia,” Reid talked to the cell phone set on speaker and placed on a corner of the map. “Were you able to get locations for the previous _Guidiercá_ ‘s?”

“Yes,” Garcia quickly answered. “The first victim went to a _Guidiercá_ that took place in a residential neighborhood called Sun City. The next two went to a club on the other end of the strip. The last victim went to the same location you are.”

Reid quickly marked down the locations on the map as Garcia spoke. “Guys, look at this.” He traced a wide circle around the marks designating where the bodies had been found. “All the bodies were dumped within a mile of each other. Here’s the thing. The first victim? Was over five miles away from where his body was found,” Reid pointed with his pen. “Our unsub’s close.”

“Someplace familiar to him,” Rossi added. “Where he feels comfortable and knows no one will hear him torturing a vampire.”

JJ clenched her jaw, curling her hand into a fist, dread twisting her stomach. They’d never forgive her if anything happened to Emily. She’d never forgive herself.

“Guys!” Garcia shouted. “I have the van! It’s two blocks away in the Marriot garage.”

“All right,” Hotch turned, already fishing in his pocket for his keys. “Reid, you’re with me. Rossi and Morgan.”

“Sir,” JJ called after the man. “What about me?”

He stopped in his tracks, JJ circling around to face him. “You’re staying here,” his voice was as level as ever, but JJ could see the accusation in his eyes. Anger towards JJ. Guilt at having placed both Emily and JJ in this position. “A major hotel is under lockdown and the press are circling.”

“But, Sir..”

“Stay here and do your job. That’s an order, Agent Jareau.”

**

All Emily felt was pain. Her head pounded from what she now knew was a blow to the back of it. But it was nothing compared to the searing hot pain she felt around her wrists, her ankles and her neck. The air filling her lungs reeked of death - blood and fear. But it was the smell of sulfur that caused Emily’s heart to race, her eyes to snap open. Body going into flight mode, she instinctively attempted to jerk to her feet, only to be held back by her restraints. The sound of metal clanking filling her ears. And Emily knew she’d been restrained with silver.

“You’re awake,” a voice said, his face filling her vision as he quickly rose to his feet. “It’s always more.. fun,” his lips spread into a wicked grin, holding up the knife in his hand, candlelight reflecting off the blade. “When they’re awake.”

In his other hand, he held a cloth bag stained yellow. Emily tilted her head, looking at the floor. She lay in the center of a large pentagram, lit candles sitting on the five points of the star.

“What do you want from me?” Emily jerked her arms, wincing as the silver sizzled around her wrists.

“Do you know what this is?” He held the knife up to the light, staring at it almost reverently. The blade was nine inches long, curved like soft waves on both edges, tiny inscriptions in an ancient language carved into the metal. Polished to a high sheen, it still look old, ancient. “A Slayer’s blade. But, there aren’t any more Slayer’s. Your kind took care of that, didn‘t they?” He flashed his eyes towards her, then lowered the tip of the blade, pressing it to the hollow of Emily’s neck, the skin sizzling at the slightest of touches. “The slightest cut is said to give a vampire excruciating pain..”

“You won’t get away with this,” Emily grit through her teeth.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t..” he watched the tip dance across her flesh. “But, at least she’ll be free.”

“She?” She blinked, confused, then her eyes widened. “JJ?” She jerked, yanking and twisting, not caring that the metal burned. “What did you do to her?”

“Me?” He laughed. “What about what you! That’s all your kind do. You take. What did you do to her? How many times did you break her? Bleed her dry? Rape her? How many times did you force her into thinking she loved it? What did I do to her?” He leaned in close, his face inches from hers, eyes wide and filled with tears. “I’m setting her free.”

He jerked back. With both hands clasping the hilt of the knife, he reared back.

Then plunged the blade into Emily’s chest.

**

JJ watched, feeling helpless, as Hotch and Reid got into the SUV, the doors slamming sounding like gunshots. Another car door slammed, and JJ turned her head towards the sound, saw Rossi in the passenger seat, Morgan pulling himself behind the wheel.

She ran towards the car. Morgan slammed on the brakes as JJ slapped her hands onto the hood.

“JJ!” Morgan shouted at the woman, at having almost run the woman over. letting down his window as she quickly circled over to the driver’s side. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You have to take me with you!”

“You heard Hotch,” Morgan snapped at her.

“JJ,” Rossi spoke a bit more diplomatically. “The best thing for every one is you staying here.”

She begged both men with her eyes. “You don’t understand..”

Not that JJ had ever been shot before but that’s what it felt like, being shot. White-hot pain shot just above her right breast, the entire world shattering away. She sucked in a hard breath, eyes rolling into the back of her head, scream choking in her throat.

Just like that, it was gone. Something else left in its wake. Eyes snapping open, she blinked in disbelief then the realization hit her.

“JJ?”

She whipped her hand forward, clamping a vice like grip on Morgan’s arm. “I know where Emily is!”

** 

Blood sputtered from Emily’s mouth as she coughed, wheezing for air. The pain a bit more bearable now that he’d pulled the blade from her chest, intentionally or accidentally, missing her heart.

“It’s not..” she hiccupped. “It’s not what you think.”

“It’s not?” He smiled, placing the tip of the blade in the exact same spot on the other side of Emily’s chest. “Then what is it?”

“I’m a Federal Agent.”

“Of course you are,” he laughed, pressing both hands on the hilt and pressing down hard.

**

“Hotch,” Morgan spoke into his two-way. “You need to turn around.”

“What is it?” Hotch’s voice spoke in all their ears.

“You’re not going to believe this but..”

JJ barely heard Morgan’s voice. It was muffled, like listening from the bottom of a swimming pool. She felt both warm and cold. Dizzy drunk and clear as a bell. The apprehension, the anxiety, the *fear*, it was all gone, replaced with a surreal sense of calm. Like all of her senses had been both dulled and heightened, allowing her to intensely focus her on the task. Her sense of smell, taste and touch had all dulled down to nothing, pushing that energy to her hearing, her ears tuned to a single sound. That energy also intensified her vision and nothing could compare.

“JJ..” She felt Rossi’s hand on her shoulder, his voice a beacon in a thick fog. “Tell me, what do you see?”

“I see..” she said, speaking as if in a trance. “Light. Emily’s light. Morgan!” she shouted. “Left! Now!”

**

Teeth clenching, Emily refused to scream as LaRue slowly withdrew the blade. She had no intention of giving him the pleasure. She focused on her breathing, a bit hard with the blood in her lungs, but it allowed her the clarity to think about what she needed to. Already, the wound over her right breast was starting to heal.

The silver burned, oh how it burned. But, as Emily squirmed and struggled, she realized she hadn’t been bound, the chains merely draped or circled around her body. With just enough time, she realized, she could remove them.

Time.

Emily began to laugh, a coarse sputtering sound, blood gurgling up her throat, splashing her lips and cheeks.

“What?” he glared at her, his rage and fury replaced with a mortified disbelief.

“You call *that* torture?” she grinned, pupils widened as her fangs extended. Then she felt it, the chains slipping off an ankle. “I was married to a goddamned mobster!” She slipped the chain off her other ankle, twisting her wrists and feeling the binds loosen. “Now there was a woman who knew how to fucking torture. Not this pathetic tic-tac-toe bullshit!”

It worked. LaRue roared, rearing back his knife hand, intending to stab Emily in the stomach. Emily kicked with her legs, twisting her body and rolling over. The blade stabbed hard into the cement beneath her. With wild eyes, he glared at her.

Emily rolled into a low crouch. “There’s something else about me you should know,” she growled, ripping the chain from her neck. “I’m not completely vampire.”

“Yeah,” LaRue snarled back. “Just vampire enough.”

They lunged towards each other. Emily was bleeding, weakened by her wounds, which put her on par with LaRue. They met in the middle, tumbling, struggling with each other. LaRue struck first, plunging his blade into Emily’s side. Emily struck back, ignoring the pain and smacking him hard against the face with a fist.

They twisted again, Emily rolling on top, straddling him. One hand clenched around his throat, she punched him again, and again. Not caring that, as he struggled, he continued stabbing her with the blade, turning her torso in a bleeding block of Swiss cheese.

LaRue was losing. They both knew it. Only one of them remembered the spell LaRue had on him. Dazed but struggling, he reached into his pocket.

Emily remembered, but it was too late.

Like a boxer protecting his head, Emily brought up her arm in a blocking position as LaRue wilding swung his arm, striking her against the shoulder. The tiny canvas pouch exploded, enveloping Emily’s head in a pungent purple and black cloud of smoke. She reared to her feet, stumbling backwards as the air sucked from her lungs. Just as quickly, she dropped to her knees, desperately clawing at her throat with her hands. Her vision smearing as she blinked, Emily realized they weren’t tears but blood.

She fell backwards, flopping onto her back, as every pore began to sweat, her nose, tear ducts, ears oozing blood.

LaRue rose to his feet, laughing maniacally as he stood over her. “You’re not completely vampire,” he sneered. “Just vampire enough.”

Suddenly, Emily wheezed as her lungs began to function again, as her slowing heart jumped to a racing beat. Whether it was because she was half-human or she only received part of the spell, the vital fluids draining from her body began to slow.

LaRue growled, realizing his spell was no longer working. He grabbed Emily by the ankle, dragging her back to the center of the pentagram. Grabbing a duffel bag tucking away in a corner, he quickly rummaged through it. “Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling out another small canvas sack. “There’s more where that came from.”

The door burst open, beams of blinding light pointed directly at LaRue.

“Freeze!” Hotch yelled, gun raised, Morgan immediately at his side. “FBI!”

LaRue screamed, rearing his arm back, intending to throw the spell. Hotch and Morgan simultaneously pulled their triggers, barrels exploding, striking LaRue dead in the chest. With the last of his strength, LaRue tossed the back. 

It wasn’t a direct hit, just close enough. Emily seized as the smoke misted over her body, not much, just enough. Just enough to finish the spell.

JJ burst into the room, muscling her way past Morgan. She dropped to her knees, practically skidding into Emily as she began cradling Emily’s head.

“Oh no,” she moaned. “Emily, can you hear me? Come back to me, Emily.”

Emily fluttered her eyes open, then lazily shit them closed.

“We’re losing her,” Hotch said. “Goddammit! I need a medic in here.”

Emily’s skin began to shrivel, like she was aging and drying up before their eyes.

“Rossi!” JJ pleaded. “Do something!”

He knelt down next to the two women, reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a tiny vial, yanking the cork out with his teeth. Quickly but gently, he brought the vial to Emily’s mouth, pouring until it was empty. Her eyes fluttered before she drifted away again.

“It’s not working!” JJ grit through her teeth, cradling Emily as if she could will the woman to live.

“Blood!” Reid said, eyes looking about wildly at the fluids pooling around Emily’s body. “She’s already lost over two-thirds of her bodily fluids.”

“He’s right,” Rossi added. “She needs to replace what she’s lost.”

Without thought, without pause, JJ wrenched her arm up, yanking back the sleeve with her teeth. She bit hard and deep into the flesh of her forearm, ripping the skin. She placed her wounded arm to Emily’s mouth.

“Emily,” she commanded. “Drink.”

Emily groaned as the coppery liquid filled her mouth. Instincts taking over, she sank her teeth, eyes fluttering as she groaned again.

JJ winced at the sudden bite, at the feel of Emily pulling the blood from her body. It wasn’t like before, there was no arousal, no sudden heat flaring between her legs. Within moments, she felt light-headed, dizzy, Emily sucking with every beat of JJ’s heart.

Rossi placed a gentle hand on JJ’s shoulder. “That’s enough.”

“No,” JJ slurred, shaking her head. “Let her take what she needs.”

“JJ..” Rossi stopped, knowing JJ wasn’t the person he needed to talk to. “Emily. Stop!”

Except, Emily wasn’t Emily anymore. She was a vampire on the verge of death, her only salvation, the precious blood filling her mouth. At the sound of her name, her eyes snapped open, glaring, angrily at the man who disturbed her feed. With a possessive growl, she sank her teeth deeper into JJ’s arm.

With every pull of her lips, Emily wasn’t just getting better, her skin filling out, inflating like a balloon, the color returning to her skin. She was also getting stronger. It wasn’t just her vampire instincts taking over, it was the vampire, that darkness within always so tightly contained surging towards the surface. As the whites of her eyes slowly misted to black.

“She‘s going into blood lust!” Rossi shouted, the situation going from bad to worse. In this state, were Emily to completely transform, it wouldn‘t just be JJ in peril. It‘d be all of them. “Hold her down!”

They all moved at once, Reid pouncing on Emily’s legs, holding her by the ankles. Hotch and Morgan worked on Emily’s arms, as Rossi desperately tried to pry Emily’s mouth from JJ’s arm. It was like trying to move a mountain. Emily tightened her hold, fingers curling into JJ’s flesh, breaking the skin.

“This isn’t working!” Hotch grit through his teeth, pulling with everything he had on Emily’s arm.

“Watch out!” Morgan removed a hand, reaching back for his gun. He looked down at Emily, the slightest bit of empathy in his eyes. “Sorry, partner.” Then, he cracked the hilt of his gun against her temple.

Like a game of tug of war where the rope suddenly snapped, Emily went limp, the men holding her down falling backwards.

As JJ slumped, eyes rolling into the back of her head and the darkness took over.


	6. Chapter 6

“There she is. There’s my girl.”

Despite the blinding pain pounding in her skull, Emily smiled at the sound of Morgan’s voice. The sounds and smells told her she was in the hospital. She could feel the IV in her arm, hear the heart monitor’s steady beat.

She felt something at her lips, a straw, and sipped eagerly before Morgan pulled the cup away.

“Derek Morgan,” she forced a grin on her lips, slowly opening her eyes as he reached forward, brushed the hair off her forehead with the backs of his knuckles. “If I wasn’t queerer than a three dollar bill, you know I’d marry you, right?”

“If you were straight..” He smiled back. “I still wouldn’t marry you. How’re you doing?”

She closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to her head. “You hit me.”

“You deserved it.” He sat back in his chair, pulling out his cell and pressing the buttons.

“What are you doing?”

“Texting Garcia. She’s with Reid, getting dinner.”

As her eyes focused, she saw him, saw Morgan clearly for the first time. The dark five o’clock shadow, rumpled clothes. “How long have I been out?”

“Four days,” he answered, tucking his cell back in his pocket.

“And how long have you been here?”

“Garcia didn’t want you waking up alone,” he shrugged. “We’ve been on rotation. I don‘t mind. You‘ve got some cute nurses tending to you. Even if they won‘t let me watch them give you a sponge bath.”

Emily barely heard Morgan’s attempt at humor. She’d closed her eyes as the guilt weighed down on her, the feeling that she didn’t deserve such loyal friends.

“Hey,” Morgan reached out with his leg, shaking the bed with a foot. “Don’t you go all martyr on me. You know you’d do the same if it was any of us.”

“Fine,” Emily grumbled. “Talk to me about work. The unsub?”

“Dead.”

It all came back to her, a flood of jumbled memories piecing themselves together, helping her remember just exactly why she was in the hospital. She jerked the arm off her face, eyes snapping open as she turned towards Morgan. “JJ?”

“She’s fine. Checked out two days ago. Probably wishes she hadn’t. Strauss tore her a new one, then suspended her for a week.”

“Why? It wasn’t her fault. I..” Emily stammered, facing her head upwards and finding something of interest on the ceiling. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“Why did you, Emily? What happened back there?”

“It’s a long story,” she said, tilting her head away, hoping to end this particular conversation.

She heard him make that irritated little sigh of his, groaning inwardly, knowing he wasn’t quite done.

“How long have we been partners?”

“Morgan..”

“She saved your life, you know. And I’m not talking about letting you almost drain her dry.” Emily turned her head back to face him. He’d leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees. He lowered his head, running a hand over his head.

“Derek?” Emily swallowed hard, the anxiety filling her as she waited for him to tell her what she probably didn’t want to hear.

“I’ve been on this job a long time, seen some crazy shit, but what JJ did..” he paused, chuckling as if in disbelief. “She lead us to you. Every time he hit you, she felt it. When we checked the both of you into the hospital? All those places where he stabbed you? She had bruises. Now, I don’t know much about vampires, Sires or Companions, but I know you and I’ve known your previous Companions, and none of them ever reacted like that.”

Emily blinked, confusion and awe written all over her face. It didn’t make sense, even if it made perfect sense. The Selection was all about finding the perfect Companion. Even if she’d never heard of anything similar happening between a sire and Companion, Emily had known from the first moment she saw JJ that the woman was perfect for her. Then, Emily felt her heart breaking all over again.

“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head, drawing her arm over her face again so Morgan couldn‘t see the tears welling in her eyes. “When I get out of here, I’m rejecting her.”

**

“Enter the Den of Wisdom, oh, curious of knowledge one.”

Emily couldn’t help but smile as she turned the handle and entered Garcia’s office. Garcia twirled in her seat, lips spreading into a wide grin, eyes twinkling.

“Well, if it isn’t my clit-clenching hottie.”

“Oh God,” Emily groaned, quietly closing the door behind her. “Please tell me that wasn’t in her report.”

“Yeah, right,” Garcia snorted, pointing her pen at Emily. “I am not just an expert gatherer of digital information, my pretty.”

“I.. hadn’t realized you two had become close.”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“I don’t know.” Emily shook her head. Everything within the past two weeks had been happening so fast, it never occurred to her the same thing could be happening to JJ. Then again, Garcia did have a way with people. “Anyway..” she stepped deeper into the room, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned a hip against the corner of Garcia’s desk. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Anything.” The smile on Garcia’s face faltered a bit. It wasn’t just Emily’s serious countenance, it was the way she was dressed - boots, jeans, sweater that probably cost more than Garcia made in a month. More casual than Garcia had ever seen Emily, but it still had that air of seriousness that seemed to cling around the woman like a fog.

“Actually, I need a favor,” Emily paused, inhaling deeply. “Three actually. First,” she raised a hand, holding up her index finger. “Clit-clenching hottie? Never call me that again,” she paused off Garcia’s pout. “And if you tell Derek, I’ll show him the reams of fanfic you’ve posted online.” Off that, the lab tech paled, eyes widening in horror at her hobby having been discovered. “Second,” Emily continued. “No one can know I was here. As far as everyone’s concerned, I’m taking the week off. This conversation we’re having? Never occurred.”

“And the third?”

Emily’s eyes went dark, the anger within her roiling like waves. What little blood Garcia had in her face completely drained as Emily told her the name of the person she hoped to find.

**

JJ paced back in forth in her living room, one hand holding the phone to her ear as she nervously nibbled on a thumbnail.

“Mom,” she said, exasperated. “I’m fine. No, really.”

Not that JJ was fine. Far from it, she’d been injured, almost killed, and suspended, all within the first week of her new job. Not that she told her mother any of this. Instead, JJ came up with the excuse that she’d twisted her ankle on the job and was taking a couple days bed rest. An excuse her mother totally did not buy.

“No, Mom, you don’t need to fly down here and keep me company. Please.”

Admittedly, she could have used the company. Two days into her suspension and JJ was going stir crazy. Garcia had kept in contact, emailing her during the day then calling her at night, making sure she was all right, asking if she needed anything. It was almost like having a sister again. Almost.

“What?” JJ stopped in her tracks, lost in her thoughts as her mother droned in her ear. “No.. we haven‘t.” She looked down at her forearm, still wrapped in miles of gauze. There’d be no quick healing this time. Her mother asked another question and JJ felt her heart skip a beat. “No. I don’t know why we haven’t done the blood-bond.”

A knock at the door and JJ made a silent prayer, thankful at having a real excuse to end the conversation. “Sorry, Mom, someone’s at the door. I gotta go.”

She set the phone down, making her way to the front door of her apartment. Without thinking or looking through the peephole, she opened the door and froze.

Emily stood on the other side of the entrance. Her eyes were dark, pupils fully widened, the glint of fang showing through her parted lips. She wore all black, heavy boots, trench coat, leather pants and silk blouse.

“Emily. What..”

“Get your coat,” Emily cut her off. “We’re leaving.”

JJ wondered whether or not to bow her head. This wasn’t the Emily she knew, this was the vampire. As much as she felt the fear rising within her, JJ also knew saying no wasn’t an option. Leaving the door open, she stepped back into her apartment, grabbing her coat. As she walked back, she stopped at the table just inside the foyer, turning her gaze towards the ornate wooden box - the items needed to complete the blood-bond.

“Do I need to bring this?” JJ asked.

Emily’s eyes flicked towards the box before she turned, began walking away. “No.”

**

They drove in silence, without the radio on to break up the monotony, the rising tension churning in the pit of JJ’s stomach. Crossing the border into Maryland, JJ sat silent, watching the road signs, wondering just where they were going.

Inside Baltimore, Emily drove to the industrial part of the waterfront, to a nondescript warehouse right on the water’s edge.

“Follow me,” was all Emily said, sliding out of the driver’s seat.

JJ followed Emily into the building. The air was still, stale, as if the doors hadn’t been opened in years. Everything about seemed abandoned as Emily lead JJ deeper, past the front offices and into the warehouse space.

The room was cavernous, stone saws lined a far wall, broken slates littering the floor, along with broken boxes and inches of dust. A single light high in the ceiling was the only illumination. JJ could see shadows on opposite ends of the walls. On one side, three figures stood. As her eyes adjusted and though she couldn’t see their faces, she knew the Duke of Bacchinus stood there, flanked by his niece and nephew. On the other side were three other figures.

Dead center in the room, beneath the single light sat a man on a chair. His face was covered with a hood, hands bound behind his back. Emily stopped, turned towards JJ, her eyes completely black.

“Are you ready?” Emily asked.

“Ready for what?”

Emily said nothing, merely walked over towards the bound and hooded man, then yanked off his hood.

JJ gasped aloud, taking a step back as if struck.

His name was Gavin Burnsley. It’d been over twenty years since she’d last seen him. She’d hoped to never see his face again, until a night in a Las Vegas club less than a week ago. When all those awful memories she’d tried to bury came crashing back to her. He hadn’t aged a day - lean frame, sculpted cheek bones, wavy brown hair and hazel-green eyes. It was the eyes JJ remembered the most.

Emily kicked the chair, toppling it and Gavin to the floor. She stepped around, moving back towards JJ as Gavin struggled to his feet.

“Emily,” JJ found her voice. “What is this?”

“Justice.” She turned back around, addressing Gavin. “On your knees.”

JJ’s skin crawled as Gavin began laughing, dusting his shirt off. “Kneel?” he sneered. “I do not kneel, especially before some filthy half-breed and her human whor..”

Emily whipped out her gun, quickly fired two shots, Gavin howling as his kneecaps exploded. He crumpled to the ground, writhing on the dusty floor.

“You stupid cunt!” he screamed.

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, casually walking over to him. “You’ll heal.” Then, she kicked him in the head.

She reached down, grabbing him by the back of the head and yanking him up to his knees.

“Do you have any idea who I am?” he shrieked, the first seeds of fear creeping into his voice.

“It’s not who you are,” Emily gripped him by the throat, squeezing until his eyes bulged. “It’s what you are!”

“I have no grievance with you, half-breed.”

“No.” Emily tightened her grip, pulled his face closer towards hers. “You have grievance with *her*! Which means you have grievance with me!”

“A human? They are but lambs before the slaughter and, believe me, I have slaughtered many little lambs.”

JJ stepped forward, the world dissolving around her as she focused entirely on the vampire before her. It’d been years since she’d been so close to him. But, she wasn’t a frightened little girl anymore.

“Do you remember me, now?” JJ said, stepping into the light.

His eyes narrowed then widened with delight. “Little Jennifer Jareau. Oh my,” he paused, licking his lips. “Have you grown. All full of vim and vigor now that you have a vampire at your bidding. Are you as sweet as I remember? Certainly sweeter than your sister was.”

A scream tearing up her throat, JJ lunged forward, punching Gavin hard across the jaw. Emily whipped around, wrapping an arm around JJ’s waist, lifting an pulling her away, JJ kicking and screaming.

“Jennifer! Look at me. Look at me, JJ.” Emily set JJ down, hard. She cupped JJ’s face with both hands, returning her eyes to normal as she forced JJ to look at her. “I do the kill. Those are the rules. Understand?”

JJ sucked in a hard breath before nodding her head. “Emily.” She placed her hands on Emily’s wrists, pulling her lips to Emily’s ear. “Make him scream.”

Emily nodded. She rose to her full height, turning, pulling off her coat as she walked back towards Gavin. “Did you hear that, Gavin?” she taunted as she sauntered toward him, the kneeled down to one knee. “She told me to make you scream.”

He laughed. “You honestly want me to believe you have it in you? That you’re not too human?”

Emily reached into her boot, pulling out the dagger she’d stolen from Evidence. “You ever seen a Slayer‘s blade before, Gavin?” She held it up to the light. “You haven’t felt pain until you’ve felt one of these sliding in and out of your gut.”

He looked up at Emily, the smile gone, nothing but acceptance written all over his face. “ _Before you kill me, there’s something you should know about your human_.” He dared to lean forward, whispering in Emily’s ear.

In a flash, Emily went into a blind rage. She plunged the dagger into Gavin’s heart. Gavin screamed. Emily twisted the blade, pushing it in deeper. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, veins turning black. His skin crackled and peeled before he suddenly exploded into dust.

Emily tucked the dagger back into her boot before rising. She took a long cleansing breath, before her eyes found the figures in the shadows. She nodded her head to one side, then the other, then turned and walked back to JJ.

“Let’s go.”

**

The air between them was even quieter on the way back than it had been before. A line had been crossed. And neither of them knew what to say or what it all meant.

JJ didn’t object when Emily quietly escorted her back to her apartment. Just slid the key into her door and tossed it onto the table. JJ momentarily wondered if she needed to invite Emily in, then watched as she easily crossed the threshold into JJ’s apartment, gazing about, silently checking for intruders.

JJ sighed, trying to shirk the giant weight pressing down on her shoulders and failing miserably. She forced herself to look up, to meet Emily’s eyes.

“Why?” she finally asked.

Hands in the pockets of her trench, Emily merely shrugged. “You saved my life. I’m paying a debt.”

“What?” JJ snorted half-heartedly. “And a Prentiss always pays their debts.”

“Something like that.”

“I..” JJ sighed again. “Why?”

Emily broke the eye contact. How could she explain what she, herself, really didn’t understand. As she looked away, her gaze fell onto the ornate box sitting on the table. She swallowed hard. “I lied to you. More like a lie of omission,” she paused, swallowing again as she tried to find the courage to say the words. “If a Sire truly wants to, they can reject their selected Companion. Knowing what I knew, knowing what I know now, I should have told you. I didn’t and I’m sorry. I‘ll never lie to you again.” Emily bowed her head. She didn’t expect this to hurt so much. What LaRue did to her, it didn’t compare to this, the crumbling of her heart, shattering into a million pieces. “I’ll begin the process tomorrow. It shouldn’t take more than a week and then.. You’ll be free of me.” She turned, making her way towards the door. “I’ll talk to Hotch. Work out a way so you can keep your job.”

That was it. The words JJ most wanted to hear, that she’d be free of her vampire bonds. Instead, it was like a sucker punch to the gut, seeing Emily so.. crushed, knowing everything Emily had done for her. Every instinct in JJ’s body told her to let Emily go. Every instinct, except one.

“Wait,” she called out to Emily, who stopped barely turning her head back towards JJ. “You said I have free will, that I can choose. Is that still true?”

“Yes.”

“What if I.. what if we don’t blood-bond? Can I still be your Companion?”

“I..” Emily lifted her head, turning fully back towards JJ. “I don’t see why not. The blood-bond ceremony is mostly just that, a ceremony.” She shook her head, not wanting to hear the words coming from JJ’s mouth. Not wanting to feel the tiny strands of hope wrapping around her heart. “I don’t understand.”

“I know nothing about the selection process, I just know no one asked me, no one asked either of us what we wanted.” JJ took a tiny step forward, closing the distance between them. “Why should anyone but you or I decide whether or not we’re compatible?”

“JJ..”

“We’ll call it a test run,” she blurted, letting the words pour out as quickly as she thought them. “You only need to feed every couple weeks, right? I’ll live my life. You’ll live yours. Somewhere in the middle, we’ll learn to live with each other.”

“What if it’s not that simple?”

“It probably won’t be,” JJ shrugged the admission. “But isn’t it better that we get to know each other on our terms instead of someone else’s?”

“Let me get this straight,” Emily narrowed her eyes, tapping a finger on the table as she slowly approached. “You want to continue being my Companion? Share blood? And if we decide we’re compatible, you’ll complete the blood-bond? Be mine completely?”

JJ pursed her lips, letting the words sink in, those little conditions she hadn‘t really thought through before she spoke. “Yes. But, on the condition you let me live my life how I see fit. I still get to choose.”

“Okay.” Emily stepped closer, until the two were toe to toe, as she searched JJ’s eyes for any sign the woman would back down. “I’ll agree. Let you be my sorta-but-not-really Companion. But, I have a condition of my own.”

She could see the pupils of Emily’s eyes widened, squeezing out the irises. She could feel the heat rising within the other woman, radiating off Emily and into JJ. She watched, as Emily’s eyes went from her own, focusing directly on JJ’s lips. “What’s that?”

Emily reached up, gently cupping the sides of JJ’s face with her hands. “You let me do this.”

Then, she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips gently to JJ’s.

JJ’s eyes fluttered closed. It was like being bitten all over again, but like that first time. Warm and electric. The heat swelled within her, instantly swirling around the tension deep within her groin. She inhaled deeply, holding her breath as Emily explored her lips with her own. When Emily gently swiped her tongue, the gentlest of invitations, JJ parted her lips and let Emily in.

Emily groaned at JJ’s acquiescence, sliding her tongue between JJ’s teeth, flicking the tip against the roof of JJ’s mouth before their tongues were slithering and sliding, softly dueling with each other. Her one and only chance, Emily intended to make it last. She pulled JJ in, deepening the kiss, twisting and tilting her head. She explored, mapping JJ’s flesh with lips and tongue, putting it all into memory. The smell of her skin. The taste of her lips. The feel of her body against her own, breasts and stomach and thighs. The way the heat her thigh teased at the apex of Emily’s crotch. When the urge to push her hips down, make that contact, when Emily felt the darkness mixing with her own desire, she pulled away.

Eyes still closed, JJ inhaled a ragged breath. This wasn’t supposed to happen. When she’d made her bargain, she’d intended to get her life back, return things to the way they were before. Then, Emily kissed her. Kissed JJ like she’d never been kissed before. And JJ knew, she could never go back.

“What..” she stammered, leaning back in to close that tiny distance between them. “Have you done to me?”

Emily moaned, eyes fluttering, as JJ kissed her back. She moaned *because* JJ kissed her back. She dared her hands to slide down, releasing JJ’s face and resting on the swell of her hips. As JJ brought her own hands to Emily’s face, holding her there as she explored Emily’s mouth with her lips. And Emily was content to let her. To just let JJ kiss and explore and press her body against her own. But, there was that *urge*, the dark need always inside her. Before Emily could think, before she could react, her fangs extended like a shot, pin-pricking JJ’s lips.

“Oh God, JJ!” Emily blurted, practically pushing JJ away. “I’m so sorry!”

“Stop!” Her hands still on Emily’s face, JJ tightened her grip, not letting Emily push her back any further. “Don’t put them back.”

Emily swallowed hard, heart hammering in her chest, watching blue eyes darken with desire. With the hand on Emily’s cheek, JJ drew her thumb over to Emily’s lips.

“Show them to me,” she husked.

She parted her lips. Gasping softly as JJ gently traced the length of Emily’s fang with her thumb. Then, JJ leaned in again, closing that distance and, with the tip of her tongue, slowly and cautiously retraced the path of her thumb.

Emily’s eyes snapped closed, insides clenching as her knees went wobbly. No one had ever touched her fangs in such a manner. No one had ever told Emily that her fangs were an erogenous zone. JJ licked and it was as if that tongue were between her legs, licking her in the most intimate of spots.

“JJ..” Emily breathed, forcing her eyes open, forcing her head back to break the contact. “If you keep doing that. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”

“Then don’t,” was all JJ said before she was pulling Emily back in, threading her hands in Emily’s hair as she stepped backwards, allowing Emily to pin her to the wall.

Purring, Emily retracted her fangs so she could kiss JJ as deeply as she wanted to, without fear of causing any damage. She pushed herself against JJ, rolling her hips, sliding her thigh between JJ’s legs, growling at the burst of heat she felt on her thigh between the barrier of clothing between them.

And then there were JJ’s hands, pushing, pulling at Emily’s coat. Lips still connected, Emily dropped her arms, allowing JJ to slide the coat off her shoulders. The expensive leather forgotten the moment it hit the floor. Because now, Emily was palming JJ’s breasts, kneading, thumbs finding already hardened nipples and rolling them through the barriers of shirt and bra.

“Fuck,” JJ grunted, coming up for air. She panted even harder as Emily’s mouth drifted downwards, her lips finding the pulse point on JJ’s neck. Emily suckled and JJ’s hips bucked convulsively, grinding against Emily’s thigh. They weren’t even naked and, already, JJ was on the verge of coming.

She reached, threading her fingers into Emily’s hair, nails accidentally raking against Emily’s scalp in desperation. And Emily let out the throatiest of moans that rumbled across JJ’s skin like a concussive wave. JJ tightened her grip, not so gently tugging until Emily’s eyes were level with her own.

“Bed!” she breathed. “Now!”

It was a push, pull of connected mouths and hands dueling with each other as clothes were hurriedly peeled, shoes kicked off, quickly discarded and forgotten.

JJ’s calves hit the back of the mattress and their lips pulled apart just long enough for Emily to give JJ a quick shove, JJ flopping backwards. One handed, Emily curled her fingers into the waistband of JJ’s panties. JJ’s hips bucked upwards as Emily hurriedly yanked and pulled, the material tearing as Emily ripped the unwanted garment from JJ’s thighs. Emily tossed her hair back with hand, gazing down at JJ with eyes darkened with nothing but a sheer and wanton lust.

Emily purred, low and throatily as she kissed JJ once more. She’d coupled with more than her share of species - vampires, werewolves, fae and witches - but nothing compared to being with a human. Nothing before compared to being with JJ. More than Selection, it was as if JJ had been *made* for her, the way their bodies molded against each other, the way she tasted and smelled and felt. The way Emily’s desire, thick and carnal, seeped from her, into and out of JJ, then back into Emily, hotter and deeper than it was before.

And Emily knew, this might only last for a night before JJ came to her senses. Emily planned to make it last. Tonguing JJ deeply, Emily let a hand drifting, cupping a now bare breast. She tasted JJ’s groan, inhaled her gasp as she pinched the nipple gently, the fingers threaded in her hair scraping hard against her scalp, rewarding Emily for the effort. When tasting JJ’s mouth wasn’t enough, Emily trailed downward. She licked and suckled that spot on JJ’s neck, circled her tongue in the hollow. Then her mouth joined her hand, licking and suckling a perfect breast.

“Fuck,” JJ grunted as Emily clasped JJ‘s nipple between her teeth and tugged. One hand in Emily’s hair, the other flailed about, finding purchase on the mattress, her fingers curling the sheets into a white-knuckled fist. Emily suckled, licked, nipped and teased until JJ felt as if her entire breast were on fire. And just when JJ thought she couldn’t take anymore, the liquid heat between her legs threatening to bubble over like a kettle on full boil, Emily switched to JJ’s other breast.

“Emily..”

Emily paused at the sound of her name spoken so reverently. She lifted her head, like she remembered the breast she’d been attending to was actually attached to a person. She lifted her head and saw JJ gazing down at her with hooded and glazed eyes, breathing heavily through kiss swollen lips.

Surging back upwards, Emily crashed their mouths together again. JJ shifted beneath her, lifting her thigh, pushing the smooth muscle against Emily’s pussy. Emily craned her head back, eyes fluttering at the sudden convulsion wracking her body, fangs painfully popping out.

“Fuck!” Emily grunted in frustration.

“What?” JJ softly giggled, brushing the hair from Emily’s face.

“I..” Emily ran her tongue across her bottom lip. “I wanna taste you so bad. But, I can’t. Not like this.”

JJ cocked an eyebrow. “You can’t?”

She reached between them. Brows crinkling as she ran her fingers thoroughly over her own sex. Then, JJ brought her hand up, ran her soaked fingers over Emily’s lips before gently pushing them into Emily’s mouth, careful of Emily’s fangs.

Eyes locked together, Emily groaned, low and throatily, as she swirled her tongue around the fingers in her mouth, licking away every drop of JJ’s essence. The taste seductively familiar, intimately unique.

JJ pulled back her fingers just a little, just enough, then drew a fingertip down one of Emily’s fangs, watching as Emily’s mouth went slack, her eyes misted to a complete black, her brows creasing as the tiny convulsions rippled through her entire body.

“JJ..” the pitch in Emily’s voice went up, saying JJ’s name in an almost pleading tone. Her tightly held control crumbling away with each bone shaking tremble in her body. “I can’t..”

“Taste me, Emily,” JJ whispered back. She should have been afraid. She should have been terrified. Being with Emily was like holding a tiger by the tail. Having all that *power* at her fingertips, turned JJ on more than she ever realized. She pushed her hand up Emily’s face, tangling her fingers in dark hair, scraping her nails hard against Emily’s scalp as she lifted her head, brought her lips to the shell of Emily’s ear. “Eat my cunt,” she husked breathily, feeling Emily shudder at the words. Then, she brought her head back down, leveling their eyes. “I trust you.”

Emily felt her heart squeeze at JJ’s words. Despite all the reasons in the world not to, JJ trusted her. Emily had heard the words before, and from people she believed when they said it, but it’d never meant so much before. JJ trusted Emily, more importantly, JJ wanted Emily to eat her. Her eyes darkened even more, an almost feral moan rising up her throat. Emily moved down, trailing her lips and tongue over a breast, hastily suckling a nipple before she moved lower. She moaned again as JJ shifted beneath her, spreading open her thighs, and that scent, musky and heady, hit Emily like a wave.

Nose buried in the neatly trimmed curls, Emily inhaled again, long and deeply, letting JJ’s scent fill her completely, every molecule seeping into her blood. Then, Emily was there, face just hovering inches away from JJ’s pussy, skin flushed to a dark and aching pink, glistening in the dark light of JJ’s bedroom because she’s just that fucking wet. Hungrily, Emily ran her tongue over her lips, mouth already filling with saliva, that little voice growling ’mine’ in the back of her head. And Emily had no intention of arguing.

Palms flat, Emily pressed her hands on the insides of JJ’s thighs, used her thumbs to pull open the juicy-wet and swollen lips. _Mine_ , the voice said again, and Emily opened her mouth wide, flat tongue licking up the entire length of JJ’s pussy. JJ gasped, clenching and quivering. Emily did it again, and again, and again, coating her tongue with JJ’s wetness, until Emily was nothing but that taste, that wetness. She pulled back just enough to explore, wriggling her tongue all around JJ’s folds, tonguing the little creases.

Then, she pushed the tip of her tongue into JJ’s cunt. JJ’s hand was, once again, threading into Emily’s hair, tugging, pulling, nails scraping hard as she let out these whimpering, submissive little moans in time with the rolling of her hips. That made the hairs on the back of Emily’s neck stand on edge, a possessive growl to rumble up her throat.

Emily withdrew her tongue, replacing it with two fingers, then went to work on JJ’s clit. She teasingly circled her tongue around the tiny bundle of nerves, as her fingers pumped in time with the increasingly chaotic rolling of JJ’s hips. Careful of her fangs, she pulled JJ’s clit between her lips, squeezing and suckling.

“Fuck..fuck..fuck..” JJ breathed in a keening, ragged mantra, head thrashing back and forth, back undulating bonelessly. She released her death grip on the sheets, reaching down with her hand to join the other tangled in Emily’s hair. The tension ratcheted within her, muscles clenching, trembling. Something primal within JJ screamed, pushing back the onslaught of release. It was that primal thing, dark and unnamed, that pulled hard and tight on Emily’s hair, forcing the woman to release JJ’s clit, moving up her body until they were face to face.

“Jennifer..” Emily panted, eyes flicking from JJ’s eyes to the throbbing point on her neck, knowing exactly what JJ wanted. To afraid to give it to her.

JJ didn’t say a word, just tightened the already hard grip on Emily’s head and yanking her down as she craned her head back, arching her neck.

A scream tore from JJ’s throat as Emily’s fangs pierced her neck. A bolt of lightning streaked through her, as if connecting the two points, Emily’s fangs and the fingers she had buried deep in JJ’s cunt. She clung desperately to Emily, writhing, convulsing, whimpering with every pull of Emily’s lips. Until the tension in her body could go no tighter and she exploded in a chaotic symphony of screams, trembles and convulsions.

With lazily cracked open eyes, JJ watched as the darkness pooled in the corners of her vision. A familiar darkness, warm and inviting. She could feel Emily, both distant and close, she could still feel the sharp fangs in her neck, slowly drawing the blood from her body. The fingers deep in her sex, stroking her for every aftershock. As the darkness became thicker, eclipsing the light.

JJ should have been afraid. Afraid that Emily had lost control, was taking too much. And there was no one there to stop her. Instead, all JJ could think was - if this was death..

It was a Hell of a way to go.

**

JJ awoke minutes, hours, years later. Time seemed irrelevant, at the moment. All that mattered was the warmth enveloping her, the languid soreness in muscles and between her legs, the feel of fingertips gently stroking her cheek.

She lazily opened her eyes, lips pulling into a soft smile as she saw Emily gazing down at her. “Please tell me you actually sleep.”

“I do,” Emily grinned back, eyes going to the fingertips on JJ’s brow, watching them trail across the smooth skin. “I just like watching you.”

“Pervert,” JJ teased. She inhaled deeply, eyes sliding back closed. “How long was I out?”

“Not long. A couple hours.”

“A couple hours?” JJ scrunched her brows, nose wrinkling. “The last time I passed out after sex was.. well, never.” She shifted, wincing at the muscles screaming in protest. “I don’t think I can move,” she chuckled in amazement.

“Here.” Emily brought her forearm to her own lips, extending her fangs just enough to prick a vein, then brought her arm to JJ’s mouth.

JJ didn’t object to the offer, just suckled, pulling the warm liquid into her mouth. She groaned as her body instantly warmed, wondering if this was why vampires compelled their Companions. The blood was like a drug, intoxicating. Addicting. The languidness turned to strength. Hunger. As if, by taking Emily’s blood into her body, JJ could sense all the things Emily did. She felt Emily’s warmth, her eyes saw with an increased clarity, the tiny beads of sweat on her brow, the slivers of brown and black that formed the irises of her eyes, the tiny little creases on her lips, the tiny blue-green veins beneath her skin pulsing with every beat of her heart. Then, JJ inhaled, her eyes dilating going hooded, as the fading scent of Emily’s sex filled her nostrils.

This time, it was JJ who growled, rolling the two over with a newly found strength, pinning Emily to the mattress as JJ attacked the woman with her mouth. She swirled her tongue against Emily’s, purring at the faded taste of her own essence lingering in Emily’s mouth. Roaming with a hand, it was as if every ridge on her fingertips had grown a thousand nerve endings. She traced the areola of Emily’s nipple, the feel of the softly pebbled surface sending streaks of dull electricity rippling up JJ’s arm, down her torso to pool with the already building heat between her own legs.

JJ broke their kiss, quickly moving her head down to hungrily claim Emily’s nipple. Emily reached up the bed with both hands, fingers curling over the edge of the mattress, as JJ assaulted her body with her lips. She hissed as JJ clenched her teeth and sucked Emily’s lips through the tight opening, as she raked her nails down Emily’s stomach. The welts quickly formed then healed just as quickly.

She lifted her head, watching as JJ pulled back with her mouth, tugging on Emily’s breast until the nipple popped wetly from her lips. Then, JJ moved down, marking Emily’s stomach with lips and teeth. A mixture of Emily’s blood and JJ’s darkest desires, the opportunity to give in to both.

JJ lifted her head as she descended, roughly muscling open Emily’s legs. Emily gasped heatedly as JJ peered back up at her, with pupils dilated so wide they were pits of black circled by a slivers of blue. The eyes of a vampire. It should have been impossible. Humans couldn’t be turned. But what Emily saw staring back at her..

JJ descended, open mouth clamping onto Emily’s pussy and all cognitive thought was lost. Emily arched, back bowing as a long ragged groaned rumbled up her throat. JJ explored quickly, hungrily, lapping, licking every inch, prodding her tongue deeply before she went to Emily’s clit. Lips squeezed tightly, she sucked hard, pulling Emily’s clit between her teeth.

The cry strangled in the back of her throat as JJ shoved three fingers, hard and deep, into Emily’s cunt. The rhythm hard and fast, Emily rolling, jutting her hips, encouraging JJ to move faster, fuck her harder, deeper. Three fingers became four, pushing, curling and pressing hard against that spot that had Emily seeing stars. Then, JJ stilled her movements a little, just enough, Emily squirmed, trying to hold herself still as JJ maneuvered her knuckles, thumb tucking against her palm right before she pushed.

Emily howled. Tears welling in her eyes at the painful pleasure of being so completely filled. The fingers holding a death grip on the edge of the mattress tightened, the material tearing as Emily punctured holes in the bed with her fingers. Lips still tightly around Emily’s clit, JJ stopped pushing with her hand, began a twisting, turning motion of her wrist. And Emily came completely undone, all guttural wail, body flopping like a live wire on wet ground. Until she collapsed, completely spent, a panting, quivering and boneless heap on the mattress.

This time, it was the darkness pooling in Emily’s eyes, enveloping her in warmth. But, it wasn’t death Emily felt. She knew it was JJ’s body, pressing against her own. It wasn’t fear Emily felt as her eyes slowly closed but contentment. For the first time..

Emily felt like she’d found her home.


	7. Chapter 7

“Please tell me I did not raise an idiot for a daughter!” Elizabeth Prentiss stormed past Emily, marching deep into the apartment.

Despite every instinct screaming at her not to, Emily had quietly slipped out of JJ’s bed, returning home right before sunrise. Only to find her mother arriving just moments after she did.

“Hello, Mother,” Emily grit through her teeth, closing the door behind the both of them. Peeling out of her coat, she followed her mother into the living room, the elder Prentiss standing in front of the couch. And Emily stood as she always did in the presence of her mother, legs shoulder width apart, head held high, hands clasped behind her back.

“’Hello, Mother’? That’s all you can say to me?” Elizabeth snapped back. While her mother may have fallen out of favor with both the Courts and the Council, she still had her Ring. The one that allowed her to walk in daylight. To visit her daughter right before sunrise for the express purpose of tearing Emily a new one. “You curry favor with the House of Bacchinus? With the House of Asclepius!?! For a goddamned *human*? She’d better have a cunt that cures cancer..”

“MOTHER!!” Emily snapped, fangs extending as her hands clenched into tight fists.

Elizabeth growled, eyes going completely black. In the blink of an eye, she crossed the room, baring her teeth as she growled at her daughter. She may have fallen out with the upper crust of vampire society, it didn’t make her any less powerful.

Instantly, Emily shrank within herself, retracting her fangs, bowing her head in submission.

“You are..” Elizabeth paused. She inhaled deeply, retracting her own fangs, returning her eyes to their normal color. Lifting an arm, she gently placed her fingertips beneath the point of Emily’s chin, lifting Emily’s head until their eyes met. “So much like your father,” Elizabeth said softly. “So full of.. compassion.”

Emily swallowed hard. Never in her life had she heard her mother refer to her biological father in such a manner. Before or after his death.

“The one thing humans have that we don‘t. Compassion. No matter how many times I compelled him, I couldn’t take away his compassion. And every time I look at you, I see him.” Elizabeth’s lips twitched into a mimicry of a smile. She lowered her hand, breaking the slight contact with her daughter. “You are his. But, you are also mine.”

Elizabeth turned, taking a few steps back towards the couch, as if she needed the distance between them to be able to say what she needed. “I know I was sometimes cold, hard, maybe cruel but, you have to understand, it was always for your benefit. To prepare you for the other world you so indelicately straddle.”

“Mother..” Emily dared to speak. There’d always been glimpses of the woman standing before her now, soft, almost gentle, a mother like Emily always imagined, but never had those moments lasted this long.

Elizabeth lifted her head, her eyes cold and hard once more. “Do you still have the Slayer’s blade?”

Emily blinked, stunned that her mother knew such information, realizing she shouldn’t have been surprised at all. “Yes.”

“There are only five of those left in the world. I don’t know how Mr. LaRue acquired it but keep it with you. At all times. Now, if you‘ll excuse me,” she said, grabbing her coat and draping it over her forearm. “I have to go to Rome. Try and undo some of this.. damage you’ve caused.”

“Mother?” Emily dared to take a step, to move closer towards this woman who was the mother she’d always wanted. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” Elizabeth said, walking towards the door. She stopped suddenly, where she and Emily stood shoulder to shoulder, Emily facing one way, Elizabeth the other. “Do you love her?” she spoke softly, almost a whisper. “Your human?”

“I.. I don’t know.”

“I once asked your father what love felt like. He just smiled and said, one day, I’d know,” she paused, head bowing slightly as she chuckled softly to herself. “Then you were born. Tiny and pink and.. vulnerable. And I knew exactly what your father meant. If I was cold or cruel to you it’s because, from that moment, I knew I’d do anything to keep you safe. Even if the very thing I was keeping you safe from was myself. But know this, my child, I have *always* loved you. And I’ve always been proud of you.”

With that, Elizabeth began walking, making her way towards the door. Emily swallowed hurriedly, wiping the tears she felt welling in the corners of her eyes with an arm.

“Mom..” she called out, practically spinning on her heel. “Gavin Burnsley. Right before I.. killed him. He said something to me. He said he’d been ordered to kill both Jareau sisters. Why would he say that?”

Elizabeth chuckled mirthlessly. “Gavin Burnsley was a thief, a murderer and a pedophile. More than anything, he was a master manipulator. You shouldn’t pay attention to a single word he said.”

Elizabeth exited Emily’s apartment, quietly closing the door behind her. Emily could do nothing but stand and gape at the empty space her mother just filled. Everything Elizabeth Prentiss did and said had a purpose, a reason. Her last words, Emily knew..

Were a lie.

**

“Hang on!” JJ called out, hurriedly tying her still damp hair into ponytail as she rushed out of the bathroom. “I’m coming.”

Last night, having sex with Emily, never should have happened. It just made an already complicated situation even more entangled. But, instead of waking to a morning after of regret, JJ had awoken alone. She awoke to an empty bed and felt nothing but disappointment.

She changed the linens, wondering if it would too much to ask for Emily to replace the mattress she’d ruined. After that, JJ took a shower, letting the heated water soak into her sex sore muscles. The injury, Emily’s bite from several days earlier, had completely healed. JJ wanted it to say it was the heat of the water, blame it on Emily’s blood coursing through her system, either way, as the water cascaded down her body, she felt her skin warm, as her hands roamed, retracing the path Emily’s lips and tongue and fingers had traced across her skin. Until her hand was dipping between her legs, and she placed her other hand, palm flat against the wall, eyes squeezed tight as she imagined Emily’s face while she brought herself to release.

Complicated.

JJ stayed in the shower long after the water turned cold and skin began to prune. She only stopped when a knocking at the door interrupted her thoughts, a smile curling her lips as she imagined Emily on the other side, asking for entrance. Maybe with brunch, because JJ was starving.

Dressed in nothing but her robe, she swung the front door open, eyes going wide as her entire body froze.

“Hey, JJ.”

“Will..” JJ stammered. “What are you..”

“Your Mom called me,” he smiled, relief filling his eyes before he rushed through the entrance, pulling JJ into a tight embrace. Hand to her cheek, he kissed her tenderly. JJ too shocked to do anything but let him. “Is it true?” he asked, pulling away. “You’re not compelled? We can still get married?”

**

ONE WEEK LATER

JJ stood, hip leaning against the counter in the break room, valiantly trying to get the powdered creamer to completely dissolve in her coffee, internally kicking herself for not stopping at a Starbuck’s on the way to work.

“Welcome back.”

Already smiling at the sound of Emily’s voice, JJ lifted her head to see the woman standing in the doorway, arms folded over her chest, shoulder against the door frame.

“I could say the same to you,” JJ grinned, turning her head towards Emily. “How long have you been standing there?”

Emily went quiet as she tried not to let her smile get any wider than it already was. “Long enough,” she finally said. She walked into the room, approaching JJ at the coffee machine. She inhaled, probably a bit too deeply, brows crinkling because JJ smelled.. different. Her eyes went to JJ’s left hand, noticing the gold band circled around it.

“I see you’re engaged again,” Emily said, a little more tersely than she intended.

“Yeah,” JJ sighed, shoulders sagging as she opened her hand, extending her fingers.

“JJ, it’s okay. It’s part of our.. arrangement.”

“I know. It’s just.. It all happened so fast. One second, Will’s at my door. The next, my parents are right behind him. They were all so..” she paused, running an exasperated hand through her hair. “Happy.”

“I don‘t understand. Isn‘t this what you wanted?”

“Yes. No. Maybe,” JJ shrugged sheepishly. “The problem is, the entire time they were there, making plans, talking about life going back to how it used to be, all I could think about..” she paused again, swallowing hard as she turned to face Emily, lifting her eyes. “Was you.”

Emily opened her mouth then quickly closed it when the words wouldn’t come. “Oh,” was all she could finally manage to say.

“I’m attracted to you, Emily.”

Arms still folded over her chest, Emily lowered her head, finding something of interest on the tip of her show. “Attracted to the human, or the vampire?”

“Both.” JJ stepped closer, reaching out and placing her hand gently on Emily’s forearm. “Both. I don‘t know how to explain it to my parents, or to Will. That it’s not your blood that draws me to you. They’re like I used to be. They draw your kind all with the same brush. If I break up with Will, again,” she brought her shaking fingers up to her lips. “Because I’m falling for a vampire..”

“Hey.” Emily reached out, gently touched the bottom of JJ’s chin, lifting her head. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

JJ smiled weakly, shaking her head in disbelief at the thought rattling around in her mind. “Kiss me. Tell me everything’s going to be okay.”

“As you wish,” Emily whispered tenderly, all while walking backwards. Without looking, she pushed the open door to the break room closed, then reached over and turned the handle to the blinds. She walked back to JJ, gently cupping JJ’s face with her hands.

Emily brought their lips together. The kiss almost chaste, gentle and tender. Everything between them was far from okay. What started out as shaky ground between them had liquefied, unstable as wet cement. There was Emily’s mother and her cryptic words before leaving for Rome. The favors Emily now owed to two separate Houses. There were JJ’s parents. Her once-again fiancée. The job they shared and all the dangers that came with it.

None of that mattered. All Emily cared about was right here, right now and in her arms. JJ knew how Emily felt. Now Emily knew how JJ felt. They weren’t quite ready to make that extra step, where the feelings could be expressed with a word that began with an ‘l’. But, there’d been something there between them since the beginning. Despite the shaky ground and all the obstacles between and around them, instead of pushing them apart, that thing between them had brought them closer.

In Emily’s arms, everything felt right. And Emily was prepared to do anything and everything to make sure it stayed that way.

“Everything,” Emily breathed into JJ’s lips as they parted. “Is going to be all right.”

END


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